Alexander’s phone buzzed with an incoming call from his mom and the magical moment was lost immediately. He groaned but couldn’t avoid the call. Nodding at her, he got up and walked away towards the balcony to take the call. “Yes, mom.” “Where are you, Alexander? Daniel isn’t well and we need to return immediately,” said his mom, her tone strained and worried. It immediately alerted Alexander, bringing him back to reality. “What happened to dad?” he asked with worry. “He has been coughing up phlegm for the last three months. He doesn’t have any appetite and his weight has reduced considerably. Recently he has been suffering from shortness of breath too. I think we need to go for a proper check-up when we reach home. We’re at the airport now. Our flight is in an hour. When are you coming home?” “I’ll be there in a day or two. Will you wait for me or take him to Columbia Superspeciality Hospital?” asked Alexander, understanding the gravity of the situation. He knew he had to cut sh
It was a beautiful home nestled in the quiet Almaden Valley neighborhood. “Don’t worry, my grandparents know you,” said Alyssa. Eva looked at her with surprise. “How? They’ve never met me.” “Beatrix threw a huge tantrum over your and Alexander’s stay at Phoenix. My parents too contributed. How could they not know?” Eva now dreaded meeting them all the more. “Mom told granny so much about you she knows everything.” “She must hate me then, just like your mom does,” said Eva bitterly. “No, she doesn’t. I gave her the accurate picture.” They didn’t get time to catch up more since an old woman resembling Alyssa emerged from the door. She smiled at seeing the two girls while Eva released the breath she was holding. “Eva?” she said, and Eva nodded with a smile. “Hello dear! I’m Jane Foster, but you can call me granny Jane,” said Alyssa’s granny. Eva smiled and hugged the old woman, liking her immensely for not judging her despite the negative remarks Jodie Van Every might have passed a
“Yes, granny. What is it?” asked Eva as she went to sit beside her. Alexander received a phone call from his mom and he left them alone while Alyssa stayed back, curious to know what granny wanted to discuss with her best friend. “Do you realize that Daniel and Jodie absolutely despise you? Your wedding will cause a huge rift in the family. How will you deal with that?” asked granny with a deep sigh. Her direct question shocked Eva, having never expected it from her. “I’m not marrying Alexander, granny. He just asked me to accompany him here, and that’s all there is between us. I know his parents hate me. It isn’t something that happened overnight. They have always hated me for reasons I’m not aware of. While everyone is allowed at Alyssa’s house, I’m not for the last thirteen years, since the first day I met them. I’ve learned to accept it.” Eva sighed and looked down at her hands. She had stopped searching for a reason for their behavior towards her.Granny looked at her with genu
It was 7:30 in the morning and Alexander sipped his coffee while glancing at Eva’s door, wondering how she could oversleep. Had she forgotten they had a flight at 10 o’clock in the morning?Last night, his mom hadn’t sent the reports to him as he had asked her to. He had the feeling she didn’t want him to know the details, but why? What had happened to his dad? He was immediately suspicious that his mom has been hiding something from him. When he expressed the wish to take the early morning flight, she had waved him off saying it wasn’t necessary. Ashton had handled it all and they would discharge his dad later in the day. He had tried calling Ashton too, but his phone was unreachable since last night. He frowned at his cup, wondering what they both were hiding from him. Alyssa had gone to the hobby center an hour earlier to arrange for the yoga and Pilates classes they had started. His granny was busy with grandpa’s physiotherapy sessions leaving Alexander to enjoy his breakfast all
For the next fifteen days, Alexander had no time to spare. He and Ashton lived at his parents’ house. They discussed the treatment and finally, his dad settled down into a routine, with check-ups, medicines, and lots of tests. Although he wanted to retire from his business, Alyssa wasn’t interested in taking over the reins from him. Alexander still continued with Rotterdams like he used to, but with more vigor now. Desmond Rotterdam completely handed over the responsibility of the business to him, since his open heart transplant was scheduled a week later. He had to go to his house regularly to meet him since legally he and Beatrix were still the legal proprietors, having the final signing authority.Therefore, his personal life took a backseat, and he didn’t know where Eva was. He didn’t have the time to go searching for her. It was as if the road trip, the wonderful time they shared, had been nothing but a dream. She had completely disappeared from his life. He tried calling her, bu
Alexander’s heart sank with shock, not having expected this at all. This was the reason he had been so keen on taking care of her all along. “Can you give me her address? We had a misunderstanding and she left home. I need to make it up to her,” he pleaded, desperate to get some information on her whereabouts. Doctor Victor considered his plea for a moment and Alexander had the feeling that he didn’t want them to patch up. “It’s important that I see her or she’ll land up in the hospital again. Please, give me her address. This is a serious issue.” It worked this time, and he gave him her address. Alexander was right in his assumption. Eva had indeed moved into the hospital staff quarters. He drove over to the building, a block away, and stormed towards the apartment the young doctor had mentioned. The building was old but nicely maintained and overcrowded beyond capacity. There were nurses going or returning from duty, and people rushing everywhere, in the corridors, and on the sta
Alexander stood with a broken and lost Beatrix clinging to him, unable to console her. Her dad’s sudden demise had left all of them shattered. They hadn’t expected this at all. A million thoughts flitted across his mind at seeing the lost look on her face. What would he do now? Did Desmond Rotterdam leave a will? Would he be able to continue to manage the business without marrying Beatrix? Would his parents force him to marry Beatrix?His mom came forward and led Beatrix towards a seat. They were waiting for the hospital's post-mortem formalities. “Why don’t you go home? I’ll handle everything here,” suggested Alexander upon seeing Beatrix’s condition. “No, I can’t leave dad and go,” whispered a dazed Beatrix, unable to cope with her loss. After her mom's death, it was her dad who had brought her up single-handedly since the age of five. He hadn’t ever let her miss her mom. He was her everything. Maybe he had spoiled her rotten, yet she couldn’t envisage a life without him. Now his s
Eva freshened up as quickly as possible to get back to her table to order her favourite dessert. However, to her immense shock, she collided with none other than Alexander in the corridors on her way back. Eva froze, not having expected him here. Her warm eyes flew up to his and immediately she was on her guard. ‘No Eva. Don’t break down in front of him!’ instructed her inner mind. “Hello, Alexander! What a pleasant surprise!” she said with a small forced smile. The coldness in her tone surprised him. It was as if she had forgotten everything they had shared. “Yes. How are you now?”It surprised Eva that he knew about her recent health issues. “I’m fine. Thank you. I’ve reduced my work timings, and it worked. The stress lessened,” she explained pointedly, in case he had the notion that she was sick because of him. “Good! So where are you staying?” Alexander knew she lived at Hayley’s house but wanted to know her plans for the future. He knew how much she hated staying at Hayley’s p