Cheaper By The Dozen 3 Mga Nobela at Kwento

“This is the fourth time this year! That greedy old hag!” I sighed, moving closer. “Let me see.” I grabbed the paper from the counter, scanning the numbers quickly. My stomach sank with the new prices. A couple hundred dollars more? I flopped onto the couch, rubbing my temples with what I’ve read. “The rooms aren’t even that good,” I muttered, irritation lacing my voice. Amara threw herself into the chair in front of me, folding both of her arms aggressively. “How dare she raise it again! We’re barely able to pay and keep up as it is!”

I took another step backward and turned left. "Cold" "Okay" I mumbled to myself. I turned right and he yelled hot. I kept walking in that direction until I got to a point where the road split in three. I took the road at the right. "Cold!" I took the middle "Cold" I took the left turning, "Cold" "Calvin!" I yelled. I took the middle turning. "Hot! Or is it cold?" "Dude, this is so not funny" He laughed at me. I groaned in frustration.

A/N: Mature content ahead. The names of the characters in this English language version of story has been changed. *** In the midst of a hazy Friday morning, the mansion held an air of quiet anticipation. Mr. Connor Chen, the CEO of Daze Inc., Ms. Lydia Chen's husband, had yet to return. This temporal respite meant a clandestine interlude lay ahead, a stolen moment between Lydia and their chauffeur, Gael Li. The connection between them smoldered like a secret ember, with Lydia harboring a web of deceit that wove its threads through months of infidelity.

Pillows and blankets littered the furniture and areas of the floor. Aya sat at one end on the long, center couch, eyeing me as she sipped a beer. Nalanie scooted over to the middle cushion, opening up the other end spot for me. I took the seat. In front of us was a low table. Three boxes of pizza were stacked in the middle. “Holy crap, that’s a lot of food.” I glanced at Nalanie. “It’s just the three of us tonight, right?” She nodded and pointed with her thumb at Aya. “You have no idea how much that bitch can eat.”

Vanessa replied almost instantly, as if she had finally completed some routine obligation. "Have you eaten? Food at rest stops gets cold. Don't eat anything random." I was about to type when Caleb updated his video again. He posted a photo of coffee from a rest stop. The caption read: "Warm. It feels good when you're here." Beside the rim of the cup, I could see the Patek Philippe watch Vanessa always wore. Something clogged my chest, nausea churning hard. I shut off my phone and kept driving. Halfway there, my mother's attending doctor called.

I could drop dead any second. All I cared about was my dad's broken ring. I scooped up the black shards and tucked them into a velvet box. Didn't matter how I tried to fix it—some things just don't go back. *** Three months into treatment, Lorenzo still found me. Guess Elisa caved. Lorenzo looked wrecked—scruffy, red-eyed, all that cold mafia polish worn down to something raw. "Chiara..." he croaked from the doorway. I stayed leaning on the headboard, voice barely there. "The engagement's off. We're just history now. What do you want?"

There was concern in her eyes—real, maybe—but this was the same woman who'd been cuddling with Chad in this room not long ago. I couldn't tell who she was anymore. Just then, footsteps echoed in the hallway. Chad walked in, head-to-toe clad in designer brands. When he noticed the untouched soup, he chuckled. "Come on, Mateo. I spent hours making that. I even burned my hand a few times." Without thinking, Quinn reached out to check his hand like it was second nature. Then she remembered I was there. Her hand froze mid-air before she pulled it back with an awkward smile.

When he noticed what Lauren was wearing—nothing from any luxury brands—his face showed obvious contempt. "Marcus is just a freeloader. The moment he left Pamela, his true colors came out. He demanded three million dollars, yet he can't buy you a proper outfit," William taunted. Lauren gave him a once-over and said coldly, "You're wearing an old LH piece from five seasons ago. If I remember correctly, that's from five years back. It's impressive that you have it because you can't even find it on secondhand sites anymore." I was surprised that Lauren knew that much about brands, and I couldn't help but laugh.

I waited until it was close to midnight—I had three minutes to go. I started thinking back on my life, but it was too simple and plain. There didn't seem to be much to remember. My life had been a tragedy from the moment I was born. The minutes turned to seconds, and I slumped onto the table. I had my urn and photo beside me. Five, four, three, two, one… The countdown ended, and a dead silence descended upon me. The room went silent—even the sound of my breathing disappeared. At the same time, I heard the sound of the doorknob turning. Someone was back!

Her eyes burned with fury as she hollered, "Where is she? She doesn't even bother to clean the house! It took us a great deal to come all the way here, yet she doesn't even want to show up! "Oh, my poor Andy! How unfortunate of you to have married such a useless woman." Hearing this, Andrew grew increasingly agitated, the joy he had shown when he first arrived completely gone from his eyes. He kicked open the bedroom door. A musty smell hit him, and he immediately covered his nose and mouth, grimacing in disgust. Pulling out a document from his bag, he tossed it onto the table and began, "Jovana, come out. I'm not in the mood to argue. It's been three years—you should know better by now.