The Latecomer Novels & Stories

On the way to the station, I had Colin pull up Gideon's background. Cloudemont Retreat? Funded by Linda's family. The guy was living off his wife. Still in the car, I'd sent her the recording of Gideon and Winnie. Linda spotted Gideon curled up in the corner and Winnie on the floor. "So this is it? You shameless homewrecker! Spending my money, living in my house, and now you pull this?"

There's only one woman that would have his child and he's been looking for her for the past four years and three months. That woman he had a one night stand on that cold night. He wants to meet her. He had left her before dawn and when Pascal Lee got to that room, she was gone. Junxie Li's question brought Tim out of his thoughts. He raised his head and looked at the bigger version of himself and his twin brother. Before answering, Lee Mo asked:

he asked, looking at me as if he'd thought of something. "No, this one's on the house for you to enjoy as a welcome gift." As the young man left, he suddenly turned back and waved at me, saying, "I'm Charles Gifford, by the way." I watched his departing figure and realized how distant college seemed to me now. If I hadn't been so headstrong back then, I should have graduated from college a year ago. Later on, more and more customers arrived. I started to get busy, but fortunately, I became more proficient and faster with my actions.

“Don’t be suspicious. I’m just putting in some extra hours. The hot air balloons need maintenance too.” “What time will you be back?” I asked him again. “A little later.” “Okay. I’ve made your favorite dishes, so please come home soon.” As time went on, whenever I asked, his responses became more dismissive. “I’ll be back later.” All those ‘laters’ often stretched into the early hours of the morning. Then there was the night I had heated his meal several times already when my phone suddenly pinged with a notification. It was a post from Michelle.

"Mia, what is that supposed to mean? How much has Grayson done for you? He nearly tore our family apart to marry you. And now that something's happened to him, this is your attitude?" I stayed silent, thinking back to when Grayson and I first got together. Back then, I thought his family was just a little better off than mine. I didn't realize he came from real wealth. Three months into the relationship, his mother found me. No cliché movie moment of throwing a check at me. She just sat there, looked me up and down, took a sip of her coffee, and said, elegantly, "Mia, I heard you're from a small town down south? I don't know if you're familiar with a term we use up north when families talk a

Half a month had passed since I last saw him, so I already missed him dearly. However, as soon as I arrived at the airport, I ran into Quinton and Zachary. They both had sullen expressions, but their faces lit up immediately when they saw me. "Mom! I knew you would come! Are those tarts for me? Thank you for these!" Zachary eagerly snatched the box from my hand. Quinton said coldly, "I told you the deadline was before three o'clock. Do you know what time it is right now? You should learn a thing or two from Lynn when it comes to timeliness!"

The air was thick and stale, as if the walls themselves had forgotten the warmth of human presence. Caleb glanced around, his eyes settling on the thin layer of dust blanketing the furniture, the once-vibrant space now hollow and abandoned. For the first time, it seemed, he realized just how long it had been since I last set foot here. With a shuddering sigh, he sank onto the couch, his head dropping into his hands. After a long moment, he pulled out his phone and typed a message, his thumb hovering over the send button. "Grace, you win this time. Just come back. I promise I’ll let everything go. Just... come back."

I stayed up until midnight, and my father finally came home from work. I went to see him, my luggage in tow. There was nothing but crude, out-of-fashion clothes inside. My grandfather gave them to me the day before the Marlins found me. When the town's girls passed by our home, they laughed hysterically and called me a bumpkin. My grandfather heard that, and he was quiet for the longest time. And then he went out alone.

He no longer looked kind and approachable like he did just five seconds ago. "Conan Hamilton! Leave now if you still think of me as your father. Don't you dare ruin your brother's and sister-in-law's celebration!"