Just as she took a turn towards the next route, she suddenly remembered that she is unable to attend to the hospital as always as before.  "Nimfa," she called out suddenly. "I might not be able to come today or call you back after this," she narrated. "Since I have a lot of paperwork to attend to in the office, I am unlikely to answer," she added.  "It's alright, Ms. Ericka. I'll just come up with a ln alibi for you so that she would worry less. I'm sure Rica will understand if she knows you're busy," she replied on the other side of the line. "Thank you, Nimfa," she said, and just as she was nearing the parking area, she turned her gaze to the bluetooth and continued. "Anyway, I have to go now. However, if an emergency occurs, please don't hesitate to call me," she announced through the phone. "Yes, Ms. Ericka. I'll definitely take note of it." "Alright, goodbye Nimfa.

She only blinked her eyes when her grandfather decided to close the files in front of him. He then settled to invite them to lunch at a nearby well-known fancy restaurant close to the company.  According to Shawn, it was a place where most of them met their investors and clients, a place for formal talking.  "That's a great idea. This will help Ericka become familiarized with the establishment." She heard her grandfather say.  Meanwhile, Ericka still couldn't move on from the topic from earlier, resulting in her bewildered stature. She was there visibly but her mind was floating through the clouds.  "Our company will surely continue to grow and since it is managed by two intelligent people then it is unlikely that we all want to prosper from it," Shawn's father said, chuckling to himself. He was talking to her father and grandfather, making her fazed. Since th

On the other hand, Ericka's grandfather who was silent the whole time managed to join their conversation until he noticed that Jenna was hogging the attention of the whole group. He was obviously unwilling to let this woman be alone with the Grays, knowing full well that she and her mother were nothing but parasites in the Holmes to a point that they drove her granddaughter away from their household and put his son into ruins. "So you two came here for just that?" the old man uttered before his eyes shifted towards his granddaughter for a second. "Anyway, if that is the case then it is a coincidence that we are celebrating something," he added before a smirk flashed through his wrinkled lips. "What that may be, Grandpa?" Madison asked. Her eyes then shifted towards everyone as though she was a clueless kid before her eyes finally landed at Shawn.  "Shawn, what are we celebrating for?" she asked

"Ericka," they called out. They couldn't believe the words she uttered earlier before Jenna held onto her two hands, acting like the goodie goody two shoes. "Sissy, what are you talking about? Madison is just joking," she said, acting like she was consoling her step sister. She even managed to embrace her into a hug despite not wanting to do so in the first place. Meanwhile, rationality left Ericka and all that was left to drive her right now was the unbearable pain she was feeling.  She tried to act with a firm tone and gulped several times before speaking again. "There's no use in forcing ourselves into an arranged marriage. If Jenna loves Shawn then why don't the two of you just get married? I know for sure that you two will fit perfectly and…" she paused for a second, tears welling up to her eyes. She bit her lip before adding, "Shawn, I don't mind even if you marry her." 

Truth be told, he was only fantasizing about this in their younger years but now, they're already engaged with one another. "Soon, Dude," he replied afterwards.  His fianceé Ericka might seem to dislike the idea of marriage between the two of them right now but he knows he can persuade her enough that she'll slowly open her heart to him. "What a gaping smile you have there, do you like her?" Nick asked, which made him stop for a moment.  His question was so sudden that he didn't know how to reply. However, his face says it all even if he doesn't directly tell him. "I know that smile you got there, Dude. There's no use staying silent," his friend teased before his eyebrows raised up and down. "Did you just come from his office?" Nick added, after a while, pointing towards his disappearance earlier. "Yes, I did," Shawn shortly replied. He leane