Kate could barely eat anything after that disturbing showdown with Athena and Adonis. Tony on the other hand ate his English breakfast heartily as if nothing was amiss.
Kate guessed that he was already so used to clashing with his children, that it didn’t bother him anymore. It bothered Kate though. The thought of having a baby in this chaotic environment disturbed her too.
Fredrick showed up in the dining room, dressed in a suit that Kate now believed to be his uniform. His bald head shone like an oiled egg.
“Good morning, sir,” he greeted Tony and then turned to Kate and said, “Good morning, ma’am.”
“Good morning, Fredrick,” they both answered him.
“Sir, Martha informed me that you would like to have a meeting with all the staff at 10 a.m.,” said Fredrick.
“That’s right,” Tony confirmed. “Please summon all of them and let them meet us in the sunroom.”
That dinner marked a significant turning point in their relationship as a family. They had breakfast and dinner together as often as possible and spent quality time with each other whenever they could.Athena spoiled Nathan with all kinds of posh toys, while Adonis coached the baby on how to take his first steps at the age of ten months.When the Thanksgiving season rolled in, they packed up and traveled to Brazil to spend it with the family matriarch.Adele DaCosta was beyond surprised when she saw them when they arrived in the plush DaCosta residence in Cidade-ilha. She was especially shocked to see how friendly Athena and Adonis were with Kate, because she’d been told about how much they despised her not too long ago.“How did you make this happen?” Adele asked Tony discreetly in Portuguese as they made their way into the family home.“I didn’t do anything, she did,” Tony responded with a knowing smile. &ldquo
The result of Tony’s brain mapping test came in the following week as scheduled. He was so afraid to open the envelope, so he went to meet Kate in the game room where she and Nanny Ella were playing with Nathan.As soon as Nathan saw Tony, he crawled on his hand and knees toward his father, giggling happily.Tony scooped up the baby and blew raspberries on his neck. Nathan laughed excitedly, flailing his arms and legs as he did.“My little pumpkin,” Tony gushed and kissed Nathan. “What have you been up to, my boy?”Nathan responded in baby talk, displaying one tiny white tooth in his lower gum. He tried to grab at the envelope in Tony’s hand but Tony wouldn’t let him.“What’s that?” Kate asked Tony.“It’s the test result,” he answered.Kate’s eyes widened. “What does it say?” She asked.“I don’t know. I haven’t look
Kate spent the night beside Tony in the hospital, while Charles, Adonis, and Athena returned to the DaCosta mansion. They explained the evening’s incident as a robbery attempt gone wrong.The police grilled the caterers and the rest of the vendors contracted for the party to find out how Marshall managed to get himself employed for the gig. They denied ever meeting Marshall or employing him for the job.Investigations later revealed that he’d found out about the party from Penelope whom he’d reached out to shortly after Agne’s remembrance. He’d told her that he’d been out of the country for years but was back now, and would love to see Agne’s grave and pay his last respects.Penelope, a hopeless romantic, decided to help Marshall find closure by telling him to show up to the DaCosta residence as a waiter. He’d somehow managed to slip in with the caterers and even worked the party, while bidding his time to strike.
As Tony had predicted, his injury wasn’t very serious. He was wheeled into surgery to have the bullet removed before getting transferred to a private ward to recover.When Kate and the others piled into his room to see him, he was very coherent and in high spirits.“Any news on that lunatic that tried to kill me?” He asked Charles.“The police have him cuffed to his bed,” Charles responded. “Once he’s discharged, he’ll be hauled off to jail where he belongs. Kidnap, attempted murder, and possession of an unlicensed firearm would keep him there for a long time.”“Is anyone finally going to tell me who that man is?” Athena asked.Tony exchanged a worried glance with Charles before looking at Adonis who looked dazed. Kate was sitting beside Tony on his bed with his fingers intertwined with hers.“Well?” Athena demanded.Tony sighed wearily and said, “I wo
Coming out of the woods was like stepping into another dimension. Kate’s family and the rest of the party guests were milling around behind a police barricade.When they saw two gurneys being carried to the waiting ambulances with Tony on one of them, everyone went into a frenzy. Athena broke through the barricade and ran towards her father.“Daddy, are you OK?” She screamed frantically. “What happened? You’re bleeding. We heard gunshots. Who is that man?”“It’s alright, darling. I’m fine,” Tony assured her but his voice came out slurred.“But what happened? What were you all doing in the woods?” Athena demanded.“Give him a break, Athena. I’ll explain everything to you later,” Adonis said sharply.She glared at him and asked, “What the hell happened?”While that exchange was going on, Kate was getting hugged by her family who wanted
As Marshall continued his walk toward the chapel door, Kate crept out of her hiding place while still crouching. He heard her coming and fired in her direction.The bullet whizzed past Kate and shattered the middle of the wooded pillar that had been her hideout only seconds ago. The next thing she heard was a grunt as Tony launched himself at Marshall and they both landed on the floor.A fierce wrestling match ensued in the dark. Marshall fired his pistol again and the bullet punctured a hole in the chapel roof. In the tussle, Tony somehow managed to knock the gun out of his opponent’s hand.“You came back for a rematch, didn’t you?” Tony asked and planted his fist in Marshall’s cheek.“You bastard!” Marshall growled and kneed Tony’s belly, knocking the wind out of him.“Dad!” Adonis yelled from outside.“Hit the lights,” Tony yelled back. Adonis stepped into the chapel and switched on the lights.The chapel was immediately flooded wi