I was relieved that Camari spoke first. We hadn't discussed this after parting ways in the elevator because we hadn't expected our parents to come. I didn't even expect Father to tell me to marry Camari.I was a forty-year-old grown man, not a seventeen-year-old teenager. Seriously. Why would my parents still interfere with my life choices? Especially since he never wanted to know if I was alive or dead.“What do you have to say, Camari?” Father asked."Otis and I need to talk. Our future is our responsibility. I don't mean to be presumptuous, but I need to discuss it with him before I decide,” Camari explained."Okay. We're moving to—” James looked around him."No. Otis and I will talk outside. You guys stay here." Camari stood up. “Come on, Otis.”I looked around me before getting off the couch. Jasper and Nicole followed us out of the apartment. Camari walked to the elevator and stopped. She looked at her unit door before letting out a long breath.“I don't want to marry you,” Cama
[Camari]I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Everyone had left my unit, and I was alone, staring at the city night view through my bedroom window. Grandpa invited my parents to stay at his house until the wedding day.I was out of my mind. I agreed to marry Otis, knowing he was full of past wounds. He must be furious with me. I should be on his, not our parents' side, especially since he had a complicated relationship with his father.But I was blinded when Grandpa promised he would recognize him as a son if he would marry me. It was something he had been looking forward to for a long time. Otis was generous to me and helped me when I was down. I was delighted that I wanted to repay his kindness by marrying him.Although it wasn't in my plans, I changed my mind. Bella had gone too far. I should take back everything she took from me. No. Farrell wasn't in it. I was aiming for Mrs. Haworth's position.“Good morning, Nicole,” I greeted as I accepted her helmet.“Good morning, Mis
The test revealed the same result that Angus and Otis were not biological father and son. It didn't say the applicant’s name, but the samples were Angus and Otis. I swallowed hard. The test result wasn’t one, but a dozen.I turned to Otis. His face paled, but he still looked calm. I let out a long breath. What would Father do looking at all that evidence? He stood at the podium calmly, waiting until all the reporters stopped talking."I don't know how you got hold of my secret documents, but those tests are all old. People gave them to me as proof Otis isn't my son. The downside of the tests is that I didn't do them myself,” Father confidently explained."They probably took my hair, toothbrush, or a blood sample when I had a routine medical exam. It might not be my hair or toothbrush." Father nodded to the operator, and the screen showed the first DNA test. “For this test, I gave my blood directly.”The reporters spoke to each other in response to Father's explanation. I breathed a si
[Otis]Only one step away, I would know who was hiding the kid. Brad's confidants lost them in a building parking lot. They were smart. They were in a crowd when the employees left the building for lunch.However, I guessed they came out of hiding because of my and Camari's scandal. What did they want to do with the child? Did it have anything to do with my wedding plans? They made me even more interested in the wedding.I didn't know what Camari planned to do with our union, but I didn't regret it. Getting Father's recognition was my first goal to be able to accomplish my mission. We were ready. I just needed to make a few more loans, and Haworth's future was in my hands.“They must be intent on canceling mine and Camari's wedding tomorrow,” I told Jasper.He pulled the phone away from his ear to listen to me. “Makes sense. Are we still looking for them, or should we stop?” he asked."Stop it. Don't waste your energy and mind trying to find out where the boy is. We'll know who did it
A woman's heart was unpredictable. She could say she hated or mistreated someone but loved that person in her heart. Camari was my wife, and I wanted to make sure she didn't love another man in her heart.The question was too late. I should have asked when we got together with our parents. But I couldn't do that. Father urged us to get married, and Camari agreed. It was the first chance we had to talk together.“I'm still in love but don't want him,” she admitted. "I don't know how to explain that. We were together for six years, and it's not easy to let go of my feelings for him.""I understand. I loved Cathy, my late fiancée, and it took me a long time to let go of my feelings for her. Even though she lied to me and had an affair with Arnold." I chuckled."Really? I never heard Farrell's father had a mistress named Cathy,” she said."Her name is Cattleya Blair. You won't find any news about them anywhere. Father deliberately kept it from the media because it was a disgrace. He'll do
[Camari]I didn't expect Otis to tell them to resign on the spot. I thought he would be forgiving and give them one last chance. Thankfully, he saw their guilt the same way I did. Their accusations against Father were fatal.I shuddered. I couldn't imagine looking up to Father more than my parents. We were close, but that didn't mean we had a romantic relationship. Although we weren't related by blood, we treated each other with familial affection.Seeing that the digital clock on my computer read five in the afternoon, I got ready to go home. Otis hadn't left his office yet, so I sat and waited. I was holding our prenuptial agreement. I opened the folder and smiled to see my and Otis' names on the front page.Farrell and I had a similar agreement in similar bold. I read every sentence carefully before signing. Otis was generous to me. He gave me an abundant monthly allowance.I had even received the money in my account before reading the agreement. That was remarkable. I didn't need t
Niccolo asked Father to breathe regularly, and he complied. Once he was better, I gave him a glass of water. Father took a sip and then handed the glass back to me. Niccolo helped him by lightly massaging his forehead.I turned to Farrell, who had caused this to happen. What a stupid man! Couldn't he just shut his mouth and obey everything his grandpa says!? What was the harm in answering him nicely? Father's blood pressure wouldn't have risen if he had obeyed him."Thank you, Niccolo. I'm fine. Sit down, Camari." He smiled at me.I complied by sitting back at Otis's side. I could feel Eleanor, Farrell, and Bella staring at me intently. Seriously. They weren't trying to help but were angry at me for helping Father."Don't worry. I'll teach my son and daughter-in-law well,” Eleanor said. “Farrell will respect Camari and Otis, while Bella will talk to Thompson's publicist to help maintain Camari's reputation.”Father nodded. He turned to Dad. "You'll be returning on my plane. So you don
I believed in Otis' ability. We would beat them. Therefore, I ignored Bella's charade in front of Aunt Diana. It was a shame that the woman who had known me for so long believed the slander came out of that wicked woman's mouth.Being wary of others turned out to be of great use. I should learn to be cautious like Otis. Having a few friends was better than being surrounded by a lot of friends, but they betrayed me. I had four friends, and that was enough.“Thank God it's Friday!!!” exclaimed Jasmine. We had lunch together in my office. “Payday is indeed a beautiful day.” She stared at her phone screen.I chuckled. "I get it now. You like Fridays because it's payday."“You're just realizing it now?” she exclaimed, pretending to be surprised."Otis and I are coming over tonight to Brad's club. But we can't stay long. Remember, there are a lot of competitions tomorrow,” I reminded her."Relax. We'll be home by midnight at the latest. I have to look perfect for the cooking competition wit