“Can we not do this?” Sophia said to Mia, who was busy scattering a set of tissues in the car.“Mia, listen to your mom,” Steve said, looking at her through the rearview mirror.It was a family dinner night, and it was at the Parker family house. Sophia smiled at him as she finally took the tissue from Mia.“Grandma!” Little Mia shouted as they walked through the door a few seconds later.“That’s my little girl,” Mia grinned as little Mia ran into her arms.“I didn’t think you guys were going to make it down,” Noah said, smiling.“Of course we will; I won’t hear the end of it if we don’t,” Steve said as he shook Noah’s hand.“I can hear that from here,” Sophia called behind them.“Reminds me of someone I know,” Noah replied with a wink, looking from Steve to his wife, Mia.“The Parker women do have something in common,” Steve responded.“Hmm, hmm, which is why you fell in love with us,” Mia called out.They all laughed as they made their way to the garden at the back of the house.“I
The next day, Anna rolled out of bed, feeling like she had run a marathon throughout the night.She remembered Loveth giving a vague answer to her question about knowing Clayton's whereabouts.“Anna? Don’t tell me you are still in bed,” Nat called out as she opened Anna’s door and walked in.“What time is it?” Anna askedNat walked over to the window and pulled open the blinds, casting the room in the glow of the morning sun.Anna squinted against the ray and asked, “What time is it?”“It’s nine in the morning; at first I thought you were going to get a little more sleep past your usual time,” Nat replied.“What?” Anna asked, trying to stand up.“Yes, my love, are you sure you didn’t take more than the wine you had last night?” Nat asked, folding her hand on her chest.“No, hmm, did Clayton return last night?” Anna asked.“I don’t know; I didn’t stay up waiting for him either,” Nat replied.Anna stood up and felt her body pulled back down as she sat back on the bed.“Are you alright?”
Nat slammed down on the brakes so fast they heard the tires screech to a halt.“What’s wrong? What’s going on over there?” Clayton asked, his voice filled with confusion.Anna couldn’t breathe; her eyes were drawn wide in horror as she stared at the car in front of them.“Why the h*ll would that fool stop right in the middle of a bridge?” Nat said in anger.“Who stopped where? Where are you guys?” Clayton asked,Anna closed her eyes, trying to breathe as memories of the past came washing over her.Nat placed her hand on the doorknob and glanced over at Anna before she could open the door.“Anna?” She called, noticing the pale look on her face.When she got no response, she reached out for her and called again, “Anna? Breathe.”Taking hold of her hand, she forced herself to look at her, breathing with her until Anna could let go and breathe out.“Wait here, I’ll be right back,” Nat said when she was sure that Anna had calmed down.Anna placed a hand on her arm and said, “No, let’s go.”
“What are you looking at?” Nat asked, looking in the same direction.Anna blinked as the person she had seen a few seconds ago was no longer there.“She was just there,” Anna muttered.“Who was where?” Nat asked.Anna looked confused as she looked around, thinking maybe she had been mistaken.“She was just right…” Anna mumbled, tailing off.“Who exactly did you…” Nat started to ask“Don’t worry about it, let’s just go. I thought I saw someone I knew,” Anna stated.They left the hospital, driving out of the compound, but Anna kept looking in the side mirror.She was sure it had been her from five years ago. She shook her head, deciding there was no point in dwelling on it.“I guess you want to go to work,” Nat stated.“Yes, I do,” Anna replied.“Well, we’ll have it your way, but I am monitoring from now on,” Nat said.Anna smiled and replied, “That’s good to hear.”By the time they made it to the Gary head office, it was noon. They had returned to the house so Anna could change before
Everyone in the room had their forehead squeezed in confusion as they wondered what call could be so time sensitive.Michael looked up at Maggie and asked, “From whom?”“It’s from Mr. Connor’s office; I was told to put you on the call right now,” Maggie explained.“Okay, Michael muttered as he faced the room and said, “I’ll be right back.”Michael left, going over to his own office to pick up the call on his phone. All eyes turned to Anna, the same thought running through their minds.“I’m sure that has something to do with the outrageous promise Anna has put us in,” Nancy said.“It could be good news; I mean, Maggie was all smiles just now,” Nat stated with a smile.“And it could be bad news too, who knows when it comes to Connor Media,” Larry stated.“Why don’t we take this time to go over the file in front of us?” Clayton suggested, smiling at them.“In as much as I would like to hear what you have to say, I really do not think we have the luxury of time for another of your ideas,”
Sophia turned back to see Noah walk into the dining room, suspicion on his face as he looked from his daughter to Steve.“Hmm, we were just talking about Simon,” Sophia replied, glancing nervously at Steve.Steve shrugged, shaking his head at her, a signal that he was not going to say anything.“Simon? Has he left for the office, I thought we were going to go together?” Noah asked.“Yes, he just left,” Steve answered, adding, “Morning, Noah.”“Morning, and what was it you were talking about when I came in?” Noah asked.“It’s just that it seems there is something going on that Simon isn’t talking about,” Sophia said, changing the topic.“Oh, hmm hmm,” Noah muttered as he sat down.Sophia looked from Steve to her father, her brows squeezed in suspicion.“You know something?” Sophia asked.“Not really,” Noah responded.“Dad, I know that look. You do know something, right, Steve?” Sophia said, staring at him intently.“Yes, it looks so to me too,” Steve backed her up.Noah smiled at them
Anna turned to Michael, her brows squeezed together since his face was totally unreadable. The whole room was silent as they stared at her and Michael.“What’s wrong?” Anna asked, adding, “What did I do to what?”“You see, I knew she was going to cause a major issue. She has, hasn’t she?” Nancy asked Michael.“Michael, what did Mr. Connor say? Is he cutting us off?” Sarah asked.Michael stood there staring at Anna, stone-faced, making others more certain that Anna must have complicated matters again.Clayton closed his eyes, rubbing his temple, thinking about how he was going to explain his dilemma to Loveth now that Anna had destroyed the only chance they had.Clayton cleared his throat and said, “Mr. Gary, I’m sorry, I can explain, why don’t…”Michael’s face transformed suddenly into a smile, his lips curling up as he spread his hands.Clayton trailed off at the change on Michael’s face, unsure of what he had been about to say.“We just got our contract with Connor Media extended!”
***************** Twenty Minutes Ago*****************As Anna left the room, Michael turned to address the room, “Do we have any more complaints about her?” he asked.Sarah sat there stunned, unsure if she had heard correctly. Beside her, Larry sat down, stunned too, lost for words to say.“What if it’s fake growth? I mean, there are applications to do that these days,” Nancy countered.“How could it be? They called us, meaning they would have checked it from their end,” Larry murmured.“Anything is possible; let’s not get swayed by the name Anna has built for herself,” Nancy argued.“Did they really verify before calling?” Nate asked Michael.“I totally understand our reservations, but Connor Media did their verification before they called me,” Michael explained.“You mean she did that overnight?” Nate asked, not sure he could believe it.“You tell me, you’re the head of I.T., is it unheard of?” Michael asked.“Not that it is unheard of, but I’m shocked to still hear it,” Nate respon
When the driver pulled up in front of the Parker Learning Center that morning, the triplets had a determined look on their faces.Around them, other children were eagerly walking into the building with the wide-open door. Their backpacks slung over their shoulders, they chatted excitedly with friends. The triplets quickly hopped out of the car, hurrying towards the door."Wait a minute." Loveth called out, stopping them in their tracks."Grandma, you already said goodbye in the car." James reminded her."I know, but I have not done this," Loveth stated as she kissed their head."Can we go now?" Jayden asked."Yes, and you have a nice day," Loveth called out to them as they walked away."We will," Jasmine responded over her shoulder."What's in that bag?" Loveth shouted, noticing Jayden's bag was a little bigger than the rest."It's my book and toy for the class," Jayden shouted in response, his lips lifting into a grin.Before Loveth could ask more, they were already at the door, so s
Anna had a satisfied smile on her face as she stared at the documents in front of her.“What is it about?” Nat asked, her eyes twinkling with interest at Anna’s expression.“Looks like I just got my hand on a very confidential bid,” Anna replied.“I knew it was going to be something like that.” Clayton stated.“Why do you think it’s confidential?” Nat asked.“Well, because the recipient has been the beneficiary for a couple of years now, but now it’s up for a bid,” Anna explained as she glanced at the name on the file again.“And who is this recipient that is suddenly losing this bid?” Nat asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.“I think I know who it is.” Clayton murmured, looking at Anna in suspicion too.“Who?” Nat asked.“That should be the Parker group.” Clayton stated.Nat’s eyes turned to Anna quickly as she asked, “Are you serious?”“Yes, he is,” Anna responded.“Why would they be letting go of the Parker and putting it up for a bid?” Nat asked in shock.It didn’t take much to
Simon stared at the flash drive, his eyes narrowed in question as he asked, “What answer?”“I finally have the pinpoint location of the attacker.” Steve replied.“Really? That was so fast,” Simon said.“I think the location would be more surprising; you should have a look,” Steve answered, handing the drive over to him.As they spoke, William’s phone vibrated in his pocket, and he stepped to the side of the office to check what the content of the text he got was about.“Where is the location?” Simon asked Steve.“You should see it yourself, because I’m still surprised also,” Steve replied.He walked over to Simon’s desk, stepping around it to stand behind his seat as Simon inserted the drive into his laptop and opened the file on it. There were a lot of things to sort through, but Steve navigated to the map and opened it.“Is that it?” Simon asked, his hand pointing to the red dot on the screen.“Yes,” Steve nodded.Simon stared at the name on the map for a few seconds before his eyes
At the Howard house, Nancy walked into the house in the early hours of the morning, her eyes bloodshot.“Nancy? Where were you all night?” Cordelia asked, trying to keep her voice low.“I was out, where else? I’m heading up to my room,” Nancy responded, trading up the stairs.“Do you want your father to get pissed with you? Does he have to worry about you doing something stupid?” Cordelia asked in concern, following her up.Nancy chuckled, shaking her head as she replied over her shoulder, “You don’t need to worry about me.”“But your actions say otherwise, Nancy? Did something else happen at work?” Cordelia asked.Nancy got to her door, pulled it open, and walked in, dropping her bag on the floor as she fell into bed.“Something did happen.” Cordelia stared at Nancy’s silence.“Can we talk about this later, Mom? I’m fr*aking tired and need some sleep.” Nancy responded, her voice muffled by the bed.“Won’t you go to work?” Cordelia asked.“I took the day off,” Nancy replied.“What hap
By the time Anna got to the office, there was a kind of ease about her that even Nat noticed. Clayton was not on the seat as Anna passed by his table.“Anna?” Nat called as she walked into the office.“Yes? Did anything unusual happen while I was away?” Anna asked.“No, nothing. I’m just glad to see you looking calmer than you did yesterday and this morning.” Nat responded.“Yeah, I guess so,” Anna mumbled.Anna dropped her bag on her table, pulled out her chair, and sat down. She felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders.“Anna? Where did you go?” Clayton asked, coming into the room.“Should I not be asking you that same question?” Anna asked.“But I…” Clayton started to say.“Why don’t we get back to work?” Anna asked, smiling at them warmly.“I know there is something hidden behind that smile.” Clayton defended.“Did you find out anything about the envelope you gave to me?” Anna asked, changing the topic.“No, I told you he didn’t say anything to me. Why don’t you j
"What is it?" Alex asked, noticing the hesitation on her face.Anna looked at Shelly, patting her hand as she said, "If I am going to do this, you need to follow my lead.""You don't want to help us?" Adam asked, his eyes clouded with confusion."Ms. Howard, I know you must have reservations, but this is a murder case, and we need to take extra caution." Alex responded.Anna sighed, placed her elbow on the desk as she explained, "No, that's not what I mean. I know that you need my testimony to make sense of what happened that night. I know who might be behind this, but I need to know that you will follow my lead."Alex's face cleared in understanding at her words as he asked, "Why do you want us to follow your lead?"Anna stood up, walked over to the window in the room, and turned her back to them as she stared out at the city."We know how difficult this must be for you, Anna, but we need to know." Adam encouraged.Alex sighed deeply and stated, "Ms. Howard, this case is critical. If
Anna wriggled her hand, uncomfortable, but she knew there was no turning back from this. She had made a promise to herself to face this head-on, no matter how difficult it may be. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply before looking at Shelly.“Anna?” Shelly asked, stepping closer to her.Anna nodded and replied, “Yes,"“Anna!” Shelly exclaimed in shock, covering her mouth with her right palm.“Who is it, dear?”Anna looked up and saw him, Adam Turker, his head filled with trickles of gray hair. He looked almost the same as he did five years ago.“Hunnie, it’s Anna, Anna,” Shelly called out in disbelief.Adam got to them, his eyes filled with questions as he asked, “Anna? Is that you?”Anna nodded, forcing a smile as she tried to clear her voice, which was clogged with tears.“Oh my god,” Shelly exclaimed softly as she pulled Anna into her arms.Anna felt the softness of her hands around her as she finally let herself cry, releasing all the pent-up emotions she
“Did something else happen?” Noah asked, watching Simon.His eye that had been close to calm was now storming with fury as he cursed under his breath.“Gideon is flying back to the country! For f*ck's sake, did he learn nothing about business diplomacy? He is leaving all that sh*t there and flying back?” Simon stated, his voice hardened in anger.“What do you mean he learned nothing? There is probably nothing else he could do about the situation.” Paul defended.“You know that’s not true; we all bloody know that is not f*king true!” Simon snapped.“Don’t you dare curse at me, Simon!” Paul shouted at him.“For the life of me, how dense can Gideon be? I should have known better than to send him on that trip.” Angrily, Simon brushed back his hair in frustration.“What do you mean by you should have known better? Were you expecting him to bungle this up from the get-go?” Paul asked, his eyes narrowed.Simon didn’t answer, and Noah had picked up his phone to reach out to key directors over
Anna stared at the picture and at the date, a reminder of what happened. Lily's picture was displayed on her phone, her face all smiles as her phone alerted her to the fact that Lily had lost her life in her place five years ago."Anna?" Are you alright?" Nat leaned close to ask.She noticed the pale look on her face and was concerned about her.Anna was silent for a moment before finally admitting, "I think I need to go home.""What? Why? When are we celebrating your win?" Nat asked.Anna pulled out her phone and placed it face down on the table, trying to control herself. She felt a wave of sadness wash over her as she recalled that night."Please excuse me, I need to make use of the restroom," Anna said with a forced smile before standing up.Her walk to the restroom was slow and deliberate, her mind consumed with memories she had been trying to forget.Once in the restroom, she splashed cold water on her face, took a deep breath, and stared at her reflection in the mirror."I'm so