Julius sighed as he sipped his fourth whiskey. He tried to chase away memories too dangerous to linger over, but failed. Why did his father always choose this place for his public birthday celebration? The worst night of his life had been here. He had avoided Katherine, so he counted himself lucky. Even so, it wasnât enough to raise his mood. If only he could have found her. If only he hadnât been such an idiot to begin with. Turning and leaning on the bar, he allowed his gaze to drift over the crowd. As he brought his drink to his lips, he suddenly froze. A familiar figure with a mane of red curls tamed in a large clip flitted through the crowd. He blinked, rubbing his eyes. It couldnât be. Julius suddenly lurched to his feet and pushed through the crowd, looking for the stunning vision only to find she had disappeared. He stood, wondering if he had hallucinated it. Were all his years of failure finally catching up to him? âJulius. Hey, Julius.â
Everyone froze. Idle chatter fell silent. The crowd parted, making way for the formidable DaLair patriarch. His gray eyes were a storm of rage. Harming his grandkids was a dangerous gamble. The entire crowd felt the unbearable tension, unsure of what was happening. No one knew what to expect until the little girl suddenly exclaimed, âGrand-pĂšre Gus!â Without hesitation, the pair ran up to the ruthless business mogul. Augustusâs scowl instantly disappeared. He dropped to his knees to catch the exuberant pair, wrapping them in a bear hug. âThere are my little rascals!â he laughed, much to the crowdâs surprise. âWe missed you grand-pĂšre!â the little girl said. âWhy werenât you waiting for us?â âIâm sorry sweetie. I got caught up with some business.â âThatâs okay. We forgive you,â Aria said, her tone almost patronizing. Augustus chuckled, âWhereâs your mother?â âLooking for you. Maman
âDid you know!â March demanded. âTell me you didnât know!â âIâI didnâtâŠâ Julius stuttered before taking a breath. âI didnât find out until after she left. I found the pregnancy test in the trash.â March stood, stunned by the news. The only thing holding back his rage was his brotherâs obvious distress. Over the years, Juliusâs depression and desperation to locate Macey had only grown. At first, March thought Julius had finally realized his feelings for her, but now it was beginning to make more sense. It was not just Macey he was frantic to find. He was also desperate to find his child. âShit!â March cursed. âJuliusâŠâ âI know I messed up,â Julius said before he could say anything. âWhy do you think Iâve been so desperate to find her? Just the thought of her out there, alone, without me to support herâŠâ âFunny you should say that,â March said as a thought suddenly occurred to him. âWhat do you mean?â
âHow long!â Julius demanded, throwing open the door to his fatherâs office. âHow long have you known?â March followed a step behind, closing the door. This probably wasnât the best conversation to have when everyone could listen to it. Augustus glanced up from the paperwork he was about to sign. His gray eyes were calm and appraising. Without a word, he returned to the paperwork in front of him, signing and handing it to Stephen. With a wave, he dismissed his steadfast assistant before turning his attention back to his sons. âDad,â March prompted when he still didnât speak. âHow long have you known about MaceyâŠand the twins?â Without a word, Augustus reached into the bottom drawer of his desk and removed a small photo album. He set it on the desk and shoved it toward them. Julius remained riveted where he stood. His hands were balled into fists as if fighting the urge to attack his own father, so March stepped forward to take the album. He s
âShe stayed three weeks under a doctorâs care,â Augustus said, earning pained looks from his son. âThe situation put stress on the pregnancy. It was touch and go for a while.â Julius grimaced, bowing his head in shame. It was his fault. Because of him, she almost lost the babies, their babies. What would have happened if his father hadnât intervened? He was both angry and grateful to the man who kept it all secret. âWhen she was finally stable, I told her you were looking for her. She told me about the divorce papers,â Augustus gave his son a disapproving scowl. âI asked her what she wanted to do. She said she wanted to leave. She couldnât stay. It was too painful. She wanted a fresh start, to go back to school and finish her studies. I told her to pick a city. She said she always wanted to visit Paris.â Vaguely, Julius remembered Macey talked about seeing Paris. She stopped short of asking him to take her. Instead, she treated it like
Macey set the kettle on the stove to boil. The villa was filled with Bachâs Minuet in G. She glanced into the living room to see Aria quietly coloring while her brother played. This was a common activity for both. The scene was so relaxing and familiar she was almost able to forget the tension of the night before. Macey knew returning was not going to be easy and she still wasnât certain how she was going to face Julius. She didnât know if she should count herself lucky she didnât see him at the party or not. On one hand, it gave her more time, but on the other, sometimes it was better to get unpleasant tasks over with and be done. Not surprisingly, Augustus monopolized their time as soon as he saw them. His evident delight in spending time with his grandchildren warmed her heart and eased her worries. Even if Julius didnât want anything to do with them, at least Aria and Caden would always have the love of their grandfather. The kettle
The constant sound of Bach ceased as Rose stepped inside. Making her way to the living room, she saw Aria kneeling at the coffee table while Caden sat on the piano bench, swinging his legs. Rose blinked. She was certain she heard piano playing, but there was no way a five-year-old could be responsible for it. Perhaps it was a recording. âCome here and say hello you two,â Macey encouraged. Aria stood and skipped forward to stand in front of the stranger. Caden was slower to comply. He studied their guest carefully. One could almost see the wheels turning. In contrast to their party clothes, their casual clothes were simple. Aria wore a black, long-sleeved shirt with rainbow sleeves matching her skirt. Caden wore a black t-shirt featuring the Batman symbol and jeans. âThis is your Aunt Rose,â Macey introduced. âRose, this is Aria and Caden.â Rose smiled, not sure how to greet the niece and nephew she had never known. The kidsâ re
âHow is Jude?â Macey asked. âHeâs growing up. Heâs nineteen now, you know, and in college.â âOh my god, that old now?â Macey chuckled. She still remembered him as a rather saucy thirteen-year-old, always pushing his parentsâ buttons. âSpring break was a couple of weeks ago, but when I tell him he has cousins he might just skip classes to come back and see them.â âTante, why donât you take our picture?â Aria said, giving her back her phone, âthat way he can see us right away.â âWould that be okay?â Rose looked at Macey, who smiled and nodded. Aria scooted closer to her brother as Rose raised her phone. While Aria smiled brightly, Caden managed a grin, but his green eyes betrayed his joy. Rose snapped the picture quickly before glancing at the time. âOh my! Is it that late?â Rose stood. âI should get going.â Macey showed her to the door disappointed they couldnât spend more time together, but Rose w
âMom and I were planning to play later,â Alexis said. âYou can too if you want.â âReally? Thanks,â Caden immediately brightened. ââŠSo you based the dĂ©cor on the diner you used to work in,â Macey said after listening to Avaâs brief retelling of her past. âWere you thinki
Silasâs embrace tightened. He hated thinking about the trials she went through without him. Ava leaned against him relishing his comfort and support. Their past was not as important as their future. âYou two arenât going to go all kissy-face, right?â Theo asked. âWeâre in public and
Two Months Later The restaurant was lively. Guests had been arriving for the past two hours eager for a unique dining experience. The staff was well-trained providing exceptional service despite the rush. They had been drilled in their duties by the restaurantâs manager, a tyrant the
She nodded. âGoing down?â Silas repeated. âJust what have you three planned now?â âIt was more like a hunch,â Lexi said. âSean found something real interesting when he deep-dived Ryker Holdings. So we asked Duncan to keep an eye on someone, just in case.â âD
âLate? A test for what?â Silas asked not following. âAre you serious?â Tracy snorted a laugh. âAva, youâre going to have to be a little clearer,â Opal chuckled. âRemember, itâs his first time.â Silas glanced from one to the other even more confused. Looking
âThere you three are,â Tracy said as the trio returned to the party. âWe were just about to send the search party to find you.â âAuntie Tracy, youâre so silly,â Alexis giggled. âHow are you feeling mom?â Ava hugged her tight but Alexis didnât feel any tension or strain in
Finding no support anywhere Jenna finally fled. No one paid her further mind as they watched the kids swarm around their parents comforting their mother. It was a sweet and tender scene and many began to see Silas in a completely different light. * * * Jenna screamed as she storme
Jenna stepped forward intentionally shoving her shoulder and made Ava stumble back. âW-What isââ Jenna stuttered as the video paused. âWho was calling who shameless?â Alexis demanded standing next to her mother arms crossed in front of her chest. âSo playing with peopleâs
The music started slowly with just a few notes announcing the beginning of Beethovenâs Ode to Joy. The simple melody became more complex as notes overlapped and weaved a new organic pattern but always maintaining the integrity of the piece. Conversation lulled as everyone turned their