Later in the evening, the Everhardt family gathered around the dining table for dinner. Noticing Riley's absence, Martha silently excused herself and went to call her. She found Riley on the bed, sulking."Riley, come to dinner," Martha demanded."I'm not hungry," Riley muttered, turning away.Martha angrily closed the door behind her and approached Riley, her voice low and stiff. "You're acting suspicious, Riley. If you keep withdrawing like this, the family is bound to know something's wrong."Riley was about to refute but her phone beeped, drawing her attention. She picked it up and read a message, her expression souring. The phone started ringing. She ended the call and sluggishly got out of bed."I can't deal with this," Riley began, but the phone rang again. She ended the call once more, her frustration evident."Who is it?" Martha asked, her eyes narrowing."Who else could it be?" Riley snapped."Amira?" Martha's voice was a mix of anger and concern.Riley nodded. "Yes, it's Am
Amira took the pocket knife, crouching down, placed it at Riley's neck as she grabbed her hair, and asked, "Do you want to die instead of carrying out my order?"Riley's heart pounded. "Please, Amira, there must be another way. I...I can't."Amira's face hardened. "48 hours, Riley. Or you'll wish you'd never crossed me."Riley nodded reluctantly, tears welling in her eyes. "Okay, okay. I will do it."Amira released her, stepping back. "Good. Now get back in the car. I will do you a favor by dropping you home."As Riley climbed back into the car, her mind raced with panic and fear. She had no idea how she was going to fulfill Amira's demand, but one thing was clear: her life and Sophie's hung in a delicate balance.When they arrived at the Everhardt mansion, Linda spoke cryptically, "Send my greetings to your mother and tell her it's from Linda."Despite not understanding what she meant, Riley nodded eagerly and hurried out of the car.Amira drove off at full speed, not casting Riley a
It was no other than Aidan, who gave her a cold stare as he rose from her couch. He glanced at Linda, who stepped in, scanning her briefly before returning his hard gaze to Amira.Quickly composing herself, Amira chuckled, almost stuttering, "Sweetheart, why are you here? And how did you get in?"Aidan took out a spare key from his pocket and held it up. She was surprised and said, "I thought you lost that spare key I gave you.""I found it when I needed it.” He shrugged, then shifted his gaze to Linda. Amira cleared her throat softly, addressing Linda as Lola. "Go finish up the work for today at home."Linda, playing along, reluctantly nodded. Though she wanted to ask for the money, Amira silently conveyed with a signal that she would send it. Linda forced a smile, saying, "Alright, ma'am." Then she left.Amira let out a sigh before turning to meet Aidan's gaze, smiling. "So, what brings you here, Aidan?"Aidan’s eyes bore into hers. "I was wondering why you didn’t tell me about yo
After a moment, Karina stared, unable to talk until she found her voice. "I know you're kidding and trying to brighten up my mood, but… that's serious."Lucas shook his head, holding her hand. "I'm not kidding, Karina. I'm serious."She was taken aback, and he continued, "I know this came out at the wrong time, but I'm concerned about your future and that of your daughter."Still confused, she asked, "How do you mean?"Lucas explained, "Aidan isn't going to stop seeing Sophie, and if he presses on, he's likely to find out she's his daughter. I know you don't want that. If we get married, I will be Sophie's father legally, and we can make Aidan stay away."Karina nodded, considering his words. After all, she had already lied to Aidan that Lucas was Sophie's father. It wouldn't be hard to tell Sophie the same.Lucas pressed on, "Just like we're faking a relationship to the public, we could have a simple marriage and pretend to be a loving couple to push Aidan farther away."Karina conte
After a moment, Gina excused herself as she heard distinct footsteps. She left the room and saw Aidan approaching. She closed the door, stopping him and muttering, "You need to leave."He pleaded with her, "I only want to see Sophie."Gina frantically shook her head. "I think I was wrong to have informed you early about Sophie. Now that you're here, Karina won't be happy, and she will scold me when she finds out what I did."Relentless, he held her hand, humbly asking, "Please, just give me a minute or a few to see Sophie."Staring at him with deep worry, she said, "Karina is going to be back soon, but... I don't know why I'm doing this..." She trailed off and gestured for him to go in as she moved away from the door.He mouthed an apology and rushed in, with her following behind. Immediately he walked up to the sight of the bed and held her hand, Sophie's eyes widened in pure joy as she said in a low, sweet voice, "Daddy."Aidan glanced at Gina, who had surprise written all over her
Karina sat by Sophie’s side, brushing a strand of hair from her daughter’s forehead. Gina watched her, feeling a mix of guilt and determination. She knew she had to keep Karina’s trust while managing the precarious situation with Aidan.Sophie stirred slightly, her eyelids fluttering open. “Mommy, who were you talking to?”Karina forced a smile. “Just Gina, darling. How are you feeling?”“Better,” Sophie murmured. “But I had a dream… Daddy was here.”Karina’s heart skipped a beat. “A dream? What happened in the dream?”Sophie smiled faintly. “He was just here, holding my hand.”Karina exchanged a quick, concerned glance with Gina, who offered a reassuring nod. “It was just a dream, sweetheart. Get some rest now.”As Sophie drifted back to sleep, Karina’s mind raced. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. Meanwhile, Gina silently vowed to keep Aidan’s secret, hoping it wouldn’t lead to more trouble.Meanwhile, Lucas angrily stomped into the Salvatore Mansion, demanding
Riley managed to sneak back into the Everhardt mansion without anyone seeing her. When she crawled into her room, holding her bleeding pinky finger, she was trying to grab the first aid kit from her cupboard when her mother walked in. Martha was stunned to see her in that condition and rushed to her. "Riley! What happened?"Riley, tears streaming down her face, stammered, "I... I need the first aid box. Please, help me."Martha sat her down on the bed and quickly fetched the first aid kit. As she began to dress Riley's wounded finger, Riley cried, telling her everything that had happened. Martha listened in disbelief."Amira's henchman, Linda, attacked me," Riley concluded. "She asked me to send her regards."Martha's eyes widened. "Linda? Was she the one who did this to you?"Riley nodded. "Amira ordered her to."Martha scoffed. "That bitch. She was the one who carried out the mission to kill Karina that night and failed."Riley whimpered. "Did you do anything wrong to her?"Martha s
Karina’s mind raced, looking for different ways to handle the new situation she found herself in. Steeling herself, she looked up, holding his gaze for a moment. Her hands trembled slightly as she clutched the report. "This... is a big joke."Aidan's eyes narrowed. "You expect me to believe that?"She shrugged, scoffing. "Believe whatever you want, but a fake report doesn't mean you're my daughter's father because you're definitely not."He was taken aback by her refusal. "Why are you so adamant about denying it?"She cut in. "Because you can't be her father. It's Lucas who is…"He interjected angrily. "Stop claiming that jerk is my daughter's father!"She chuckled, ridiculing him. "You really think barging in here with some paper changes anything? You're delusional."He was speechless at her reaction, a mix of hurt and frustration crossing his face.Then she glared at him. "How did you come about this report if you didn't fake it?"He curtly replied, "It's none of your business. She'