Inside the hotel, Jonathan massaged his forehead while looking at the screen. He and Liliana were lounging in a room, taking refreshments and snacks. “Is she a nurse?” He asked Liliana. “Oh, yeah! She is quite good,” Liliana replied. “She would make a good actor,” Jonathan said curtly. “That’s not acting. Jenn has stage fright, so the panic and tears are real. That’s why the panicky act suits her so well. The emotions are raw. Just her words are a pile of nonsense,” Liliana clarified. “She said you take care of her,” Jonathan probed. “We should protect our own. It’s a good principle to have,” Liliana shrugged indifferently. For her, it was the most normal thing. “Is that why you are protecting me?” He questioned. “I have not protected you,” She smiled sadly. He was confused at her sadness. Why was she sad? “What do you mean?” He probed, unsure if she would answer. She clarified, “This is not protecting you. I am forcing you to choose and do things at my terms and pace. I a
Liliana carefully looked at her twins on the phone before she asked, “Have you both been behaving well?” Jo answered her immediately, “Yes, mommy. We watched the press conference and Daddy Henry and Aunty Jenn’s interview.” Li answered, “Mommy, the bad aunty will want to take revenge. Be careful!” Lil nodded, “As you wish, your highness!” Li was annoyed, “Mommy, I am being serious. You never take things seriously unless it’s our health or your job.” Lil had to console her little guardian, “I know, honey. I will be careful. Don’t worry. Besides, Mer will be here tonight.” Jo exclaimed from the side, “Really? Aunty Mer is back. Mummy, you hid it from us.” Henry complained, “You little rascals. I have been taking care of you for so long. Why do you always side with Mer?” Jenn chimed in, “Because she is more reliable than you.” Henry was speechless, “You are fired!” Jenn teased him, “You can’t fire me. You love me.” Lil shouted at them, “Stop it, both of you.” She turned to th
Jonathan wanted to laugh at Henry’s face but held back. He asked to noone in particular. “Are you talking about Andrew Jacobsen’s daughter?” Henry mumbled, “I don’t know.” Lil rolled her eyes, “Yes. Andrew Jacobsen’s daughter. You will meet her soon. She will take over Uncle’s work, and their cooperation with Smith Group is on the top of the list.” Jonathan was stunned. Wasn’t she a little too well-informed? Lil only shrugged at Jonathan’s enquiring eyes. “Mer has been my best friend since diapers. We tell each other everything.” Jonathan nodded at her and did not ask further. “You mentioned that Vivian Stone was your rival in Kings High.” Jonathan changed the topic. He had been itching to ask about that since she mentioned it in the press conference. Jenn raised her hand, “I also want to know.” Liliana shook her head, “We were in Kings High together. I am a year younger than her, but we were in the same class, and I always got better grades than her. She saw me as her riv
Liliana explained to an eager audience. “As I said Yes and No.” _ The first one is the most underrated and overlooked one. If one can score an A+, either in the entrance or the class - they qualify for a scholarship. A+ is 95% for Kings High and isn’t easy to achieve. There were only seven students in the last three decades who managed it. As a sub-clause - the scholarship student can also pass on the scholarship to another student who did not get in. _ She thought about how to add further without blowing her trumpets and added. _ This sub-clause was added recently at my request. The chosen student has to pass a series of tests which were also designed by me. And trust me when I say - none of those tests are easy. The student sponsored by my scholarship managed to earn his own after two semesters, and we chose another student. Subsequently, we supported four students throughout my tenure at Kings High. _ She paused to see if they had any questions and continued when they
Jonathan wondered if he was one of the people she took note of, those she deemed noteworthy. Was he important enough? More than that, he wondered who she was. A knock came before a waiter pushed open the door of the lounge where they were staying. And with it came a click-clack of heels that caught everyone’s attention. “Look at the heartless women who did not come to see me for five months.” Liliana sighed as she got up and walked to the door. Mariana hugged her tightly and sighed, “Damn! I missed you.” She looked at Jenn and eyed her to come closer. Jennifer trotted towards them and joined in the hug. Henry ran towards them and exclaimed, “Group Hug!” as he wrapped the three girls in his embrace. Mariana immediately broke the hug. She pushed him away and exclaimed, “Who wants to hug you?” Henry sat back on the couch, “Your temper has not changed.” Mariana saw Jonathan and, for once, did not retort to Henry. She stared daggers at Jonathan instead. Jonathan was confused at
Mariana wasn’t reconciled. Her grudge against Vivian was long-standing, but Liliana had stayed her hand. “You were the one who stopped us from retaliating.” Henry shook his head, “You still don’t see the whole picture.” Mariana huffed at him. Jenn asked, “I did not understand either. What happened when you were 16?” Liliana heaved a sigh, “She could not beat me in exams. So, she decided to get ahead of me by ensuring that I would be incapacitated and unable to write exams. She is laughable. Truly!" She sighed at the wasted potential and added, "The fact is she can’t touch me. She might not know it, but we know she can’t.” “Mer is the heir of Jacobsen. Vivian will toe the line with Mer. Even if she doesn’t, Mer is flanked by a bodyguard all the time." She turned to Jennifer and said, "You, my lovely Jenn, do not have that luxury. You have a younger sister who is still in college, a grandmother in a hospital which the Stones have a few shares of, parents who are working in small
While one group was having fun in the lounge, Vivian Stone encountered another bout of humiliation. She arrived at the venue in all fan-fare, but the bouncers checking the invitation denied entry. She had not received her invitation, so she had asked Terry to be her date. However, Terry had assumed that she only needed a plus one and gave his invitation to his assistant, who also wanted to bring a date. Now they stood at the entrance in an awkward state. Vivian complained, saying she did not bring her invitation as she was accompanying Terry. She tried to pull her rank and shouted. How could a lowly guard not recognize her and stop her? “How dare you stop me? Do you know who I am? A lowly guard like you is not even worthy of washing my shoes! Get out of my way!” Terry was embarrassed. He had only seen Vivian being gentle and polite. Even in his dreams, he could not have imagined she could throw her weight around, despite being in the wrong. However, he tried his best to medi
Terry escorted Vivian inside, who was still grumbling about those lowly people. For the first time since their acquaintance, Terry felt like he was seeing the real Vivian. He had been over the moon when she had called back to confirm she would be his date. She had declined him when he asked. Perhaps she was waiting for a better offer. She had been unapologetic when he said he would have to cancel his date. Now, he realized she only used him for his invite. No wonder she had not been bothered that she was messing up his plans. For her, they were simply people unworthy of her concern. He vowed to distance himself from her in the future. It ought to be easy since he was always the one who had been vying for her attention. After all the guests had arrived, a waiter came to inform Jonathan. The stars of the show began to tidy themselves. Henry and Mariana made quite a stir. They were both quite catchy. Only a few people in the upper class recognized Mariana as she had left for Map