"How are they doing?" Jerome asked, sitting on the sofa and placing his cane under his feet."I think, so far everything is fine, sir," said Trevor, his personal assistant, who had worked for him for the past 16 years and had become more like his friend than his employee. "However, as you said before, the project that Nicholas worked on, did not produce results as big as Leon's.""That's if we only look at the results for a period of three months, right?" said Jerome. "But, what will be produced after that, will also be a consideration for the shareholders. I'm sure, they are smarter in making judgments, when it comes to money."Trevor laughed and agreed with Jerome's words. "So, you don't intend to go home yet?"Jerome shook his head. "No. Not yet. I don't want my presence there to make the situation awkward and full of suspicion. Most people, including my son's family, must suspect that I am siding with Nicholas and being unfair to Leon.""Yes, you are right," nodded Trevor. "And o
"Brad Murphy."Jerome stared at the man in front of him with a questioning gaze, which he made no attempt to hide.The man who claimed to be Brad Murphy was probably not much older than him, but he looked much older, though he was bigger."And you said you were Lilian's father?" Jerome asked calmly.After Imelda called him, telling him about the mysterious man who insisted on talking to her, two days later Trevor said that he had met the mysterious man and that he should meet Jerome because he claimed to be Lilian's biological father."Yes. I am Lilian's biological father," Brad said firmly. "You may not believe me, because I know that Lilian has been claiming to be an orphan all this time.""Yes, I think that's what she's been saying all this time," Jerome said. "If you are her biological father, where have you been all this time? You didn't even show up when she married my son and that was dozens of years ago.""I... was in prison," Brad said, his voice heavy, but his chin held high
"What happened?" Nathalie asked with a worried face. "Did Leon really do it?""His men," Nicholas answered calmly. "But, it's nothing. The workers there had anticipated the incident so when the support beam fell, no one was under it and there were no casualties. We just have to rebuild a new support beam to replace the one that fell.""Leon is so evil," Nathalie said angrily. "If only you and the rest of the team hadn't known that he had infiltrated your team with spies to carry out sabotage, maybe the fallen beam would have cost lives."Nicholas cupped Nathalie's hand on the table. "Don't worry, baby, I'll handle all of this well. Everything will be fine, trust me."Nathalie nodded and squeezed Nicholas' hand. "You have to always be careful, honey."They ate dinner while talking about their respective busy days. Nicholas made sure Nathalie ate well. She even got extra ice cream for dessert.After dinner, Nicholas invited Nathalie to go to the mall. He wanted to buy new dresses for Na
"What happened?" Charles asked, confused. "Why are you with Gina?""Are you trying to harm my daughter-in-law?" Kelly snapped, her eyes glaring."Don't talk nonsense, Mrs. Kelly," Nicholas said calmly. "You'll be embarrassed if you know the truth."Nathalie ignored Kelly completely. She pointed to the closed door of the ICU."You better go in and see Gina there. Nelson is treating her and I think Gina is having complications," Nathalie said in a concerned tone. "Nelson asked you to come in and be with Gina when you arrives."Charles' face was pale. He turned to Kelly. "Mom, wait here. I'll go in and be with Gina.""No," Kelly said loudly. "I don't want to be near them. I'm going in. My grandchild might be born soon!"Charles sighed and walked into the ICU.Nathalie took Nicholas' hand. "Let's go," she said. "Charles is here, so we don't have to wait for Gina anymore.""Yes. Let's go home," Nicholas said. "You need to rest too."However, when they were only two steps away, the door to
"Ah, ah, ah!”Natalie was stunned when suddenly her husband's lover, Gina, slid to the floor.What the hell was going on here? She didn't push her.Then, when she heard Charles growling angrily behind her, she understood."NATHALIE! ARE YOU CRAZY? DO YOU WANT TO KILL GINA'S BABY?" Charles immediately hugged Gina and shouted at her.What?!Natalie's eyes darkened and she stroked her stomach, trying to digest this new development. Little did she know that her husband's mistress was also pregnant, and her heart was squeezed again.She knew her husband had cheated on her because she had been unable to give him a child, and she had just been informed by the hospital that she was pregnant.She had come to ask her husband to return. She froze."You can be angry with me, Nathalie, but please have mercy on my baby," Gina moaned pitifully. "This baby is innocent and even though Charles won't marry me, I will still keep him.""Who said I wouldn't marry you, baby?" Charles snapped, ignoring natal
Nicolas gazed intently at the woman lying on the bed before him, his fists clenched and the veins on his forearms pulsing, showing his anger. After being separated for nearly seven years, he never expected to see Natalie again in such a miserable state.Natalie was an exceptionally beautiful woman, with an oval face, smooth porcelain-like skin, round clear eyes the deep green of emeralds, and a near-perfect nose and lips. Her long, wavy golden-brown hair cascaded down her back. When they were still in the same school, she was undoubtedly the campus star.But now, the sight before him was starkingly different. She was still beautiful, but her face was gaunt, with dark hollows under her sunken eyes that made one uneasy, and her body was emaciated.Nicolas took out his phone from his coat pocket and sent a message to his personal assistant George, who was handling some matters.As he saw Natalie's fingers move slowly, he lifted his gaze from the phone screen."My baby..." Natalie said in
Angel Wing Hospital"Don't worry, Mr. Frederick, your wife and your baby are safe and sound. Your wife is just in a bit of shock and needs to rest," said Dr. Torrance."Are you sure there is no danger that will threaten their safety, doc?" asked Charles, still with great worry."Yes, Mr. Frederick, I will continue to monitor the condition of your wife and baby," replied Dr. Torrance. "No need to worry."However, what Dr. Torrance said did not calm Charles down. He was worried about Gina.His lover continued to tremble and her eyes were blank. Charles thought that Gina's emotions were on edge."Baby, hey, don't worry. You and our baby are fine," Charles tried to persuade. He stroked Gina's messy hair, trying to encourage his future wife.Gina sobbed and she gripped Charles' arm tightly. "I must have made a big mistake, Charles. I have made a big mistake and this child will suffer the consequences! My child would be a bastard, and I feared that he would be discriminated against at birt
Nathalie stared at the sheets of paper in front of her with a blank stare. These papers, once she signed them, would be the fire that burned everything she had been through with Charles for the past five, no, eight years.Nathalie took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, then scratched her pen on the paper.Nathalie called the nurse who had previously brought the papers to her and asked her to return the papers to Charles.Nathalie lay on a comfortable bed in the VIP treatment room, staring at the high ceiling above her.Her hand touched her flat stomach. Before, even though it was flat, she felt something trying to grow inside it. A small and weak soul, hoping to become big and strong.What Charles, Gina, and Kelly did, was just killing that soul, taking away its chance to live."I'm sorry, baby," Nathalie whispered to herself. "I couldn't protect you. I promise I'll do anything to repay them, baby."Tears flowed down Nathalie's cheeks, fast and silent. She squeezed her stom
"What happened?" Charles asked, confused. "Why are you with Gina?""Are you trying to harm my daughter-in-law?" Kelly snapped, her eyes glaring."Don't talk nonsense, Mrs. Kelly," Nicholas said calmly. "You'll be embarrassed if you know the truth."Nathalie ignored Kelly completely. She pointed to the closed door of the ICU."You better go in and see Gina there. Nelson is treating her and I think Gina is having complications," Nathalie said in a concerned tone. "Nelson asked you to come in and be with Gina when you arrives."Charles' face was pale. He turned to Kelly. "Mom, wait here. I'll go in and be with Gina.""No," Kelly said loudly. "I don't want to be near them. I'm going in. My grandchild might be born soon!"Charles sighed and walked into the ICU.Nathalie took Nicholas' hand. "Let's go," she said. "Charles is here, so we don't have to wait for Gina anymore.""Yes. Let's go home," Nicholas said. "You need to rest too."However, when they were only two steps away, the door to
"What happened?" Nathalie asked with a worried face. "Did Leon really do it?""His men," Nicholas answered calmly. "But, it's nothing. The workers there had anticipated the incident so when the support beam fell, no one was under it and there were no casualties. We just have to rebuild a new support beam to replace the one that fell.""Leon is so evil," Nathalie said angrily. "If only you and the rest of the team hadn't known that he had infiltrated your team with spies to carry out sabotage, maybe the fallen beam would have cost lives."Nicholas cupped Nathalie's hand on the table. "Don't worry, baby, I'll handle all of this well. Everything will be fine, trust me."Nathalie nodded and squeezed Nicholas' hand. "You have to always be careful, honey."They ate dinner while talking about their respective busy days. Nicholas made sure Nathalie ate well. She even got extra ice cream for dessert.After dinner, Nicholas invited Nathalie to go to the mall. He wanted to buy new dresses for Na
"Brad Murphy."Jerome stared at the man in front of him with a questioning gaze, which he made no attempt to hide.The man who claimed to be Brad Murphy was probably not much older than him, but he looked much older, though he was bigger."And you said you were Lilian's father?" Jerome asked calmly.After Imelda called him, telling him about the mysterious man who insisted on talking to her, two days later Trevor said that he had met the mysterious man and that he should meet Jerome because he claimed to be Lilian's biological father."Yes. I am Lilian's biological father," Brad said firmly. "You may not believe me, because I know that Lilian has been claiming to be an orphan all this time.""Yes, I think that's what she's been saying all this time," Jerome said. "If you are her biological father, where have you been all this time? You didn't even show up when she married my son and that was dozens of years ago.""I... was in prison," Brad said, his voice heavy, but his chin held high
"How are they doing?" Jerome asked, sitting on the sofa and placing his cane under his feet."I think, so far everything is fine, sir," said Trevor, his personal assistant, who had worked for him for the past 16 years and had become more like his friend than his employee. "However, as you said before, the project that Nicholas worked on, did not produce results as big as Leon's.""That's if we only look at the results for a period of three months, right?" said Jerome. "But, what will be produced after that, will also be a consideration for the shareholders. I'm sure, they are smarter in making judgments, when it comes to money."Trevor laughed and agreed with Jerome's words. "So, you don't intend to go home yet?"Jerome shook his head. "No. Not yet. I don't want my presence there to make the situation awkward and full of suspicion. Most people, including my son's family, must suspect that I am siding with Nicholas and being unfair to Leon.""Yes, you are right," nodded Trevor. "And o
Leon was restless. He had gathered all the best staff in the company and made sure they would all be included in his team, but why did he still feel uneasy?He got a leak of information about the team formed by Nicholas. George was the team leader and under him were names that were not too familiar to his ears. Most of them were field workers and operational staff."Why did he pull so many field people into his team?" Leon asked, after seeing the list of names of the people who joined the team formed by Nicholas."I think he ran out of expert resources, sir," said Randall, Leon's personal assistant. "We've swept them all into our team.""And what about the project, has it started yet?" Leon asked again."About that," Randall was a little nervous. He had a feeling that Leon would not like the information. "It seems they have already gotten some projects underway in several government agencies that are their targets."Leon banged the table. "Fuck! How could we be behind them! You have t
"How many agencies have received and approved our proposal?" Nicholas asked George, who was checking his laptop.George smiled broadly. "Out of the 82 proposals we distributed, 56 have passed and 148 blueprints are ready to be launched."Nicholas clapped his hands in satisfaction. He was confident that his project would succeed. Even if he failed to achieve a minimum profit of 30% in three months for the company, he was not worried.After all, that was not the only parameter that would determine whether he would succeed in becoming Grand's heir or not. There was still the calculation of the size of the shares and also the opinions of other shareholders.Nicholas knew that during the three months he replaced Leon as CEO, many members of the board of shareholders were satisfied with his performance and they will definitely choose him as heir if their voice count.This time, Leon would not be able to cheat again like he did before, engineering the situation as if Nicholas was trying to l
"Damn it!" Gina yelled into the empty living room.She had just come home from dinner with Bryan. Charles was out of town surveying a project and as soon as he left, she called Bryan.The restaurant Bryan had chosen was a fancy one a little out of town. It served delicious food and a nice atmosphere.Gina was ecstatic. She hadn't had a fancy dinner out in a long time. Charles had been busy lately and would come home tired, so he usually went straight to bed after taking a shower.Bryan pounced on Gina in the car as soon as she got in. They spent over 30 minutes having s*x in the car before Bryan finally let her go.As usual, after satisfying Bryan's ever-increasing desires, Gina would be pampered to the hilt by Bryan and he would give her anything she asked for."I'm hungry," Gina said coyly. "Take me to dinner somewhere nice."However, who would have thought that in that restaurant, Gina would meet Nicholas Grand. And Gina was sure, the man must have come with Nathalie.Nicholas smil
"No, no, baby, you're eating too little," Nicholas protested, looking at what was on Nathalie's plate. "Come on, eat whatever you want, not just for yourself, my love, but for our child too."Nathalie pouted, though she was happy. "I can't eat much, honey, my stomach is so full."Nicholas sighed and leaned toward Nathalie to whisper, "Next time you're not allowed to swallow it, if you do it before eating. It contains a lot of protein, that's why you feel full!""Huh?" Nathalie's eyebrows rose. "What am I not allowed to swallow?"Nicholas took Nathalie's hand and brought it under the table, placing it on the bulge in the middle of his body.Instantly Nathalie's face turned bright red and pulled her hand away, then pinched Nicholas' thigh lightly.Nicholas laughed at Nathalie's awkward behavior. "Come on, eat this too. Just a little at a time."Nathalie obeyed and ate the lasagna on her plate bit by bit."Baby, if you feel tired, how about taking a leave until you give birth? I think so
"I promise to bring the company not only 30% profit, but I dare to promise more than 40%," Leon said confidently. "I just got a big project from a warehouse procurement company for electronics that just got off the ship, and they said they will build a warehouse area in every port in America and Canada."Everyone applauded hearing Leon's words. Leon nodded proudly. He threw a sarcastic look at Nicholas, which Nicholas only responded with a thumbs up."Alright, we have heard everything that the candidate has explained," Jerome Grand said. "The next meeting will be held in three months and for the leaders of other branch companies, use these three months to do more useful things for the companies you lead. I will not give any tolerance in any form to branch companies that can only be parasites of profit to other branch companies and to The Grand Enterprise."Nicholas went to Big Construction after the meeting was over. His duties as the interim CEO at The Grand Enterprise were over and