‘Professor Sawyer, it’s an honour to meet you.’ Alessia was thrilled.‘Well, if Vince introduced us to each other earlier, we would have met sooner,’ Yvonne said meaningfully. ‘Vince, bring us a pot of tea. Oh, young people like coffee.’She turned to Alessia. ‘Do you drink tea or coffee?’‘Either is fine for me, Professor Sawyer.’‘Tea it is, then,’ Vince said. ‘But we’ll have to drink it later.’‘Oh, that’s right. The salon.’ Yvonne stood up and stretched. ‘Let’s go then.’‘Wait.’ Alessia was confused. ‘I thought we were doing an interview.’Yvonne laughed. ‘Yes, but not here, and not with me. Vince has asked me to introduce you to a couple of artists at the salon. Painters, sculptors, illustrators, what have you. Then you can do a series, like what you did with Professor Hurley and his students.’‘Wow. That’s a wonderful idea. Thank you. Thank you so much.’ Alessia was both surprised and touched.This was a huge favour.Yvonne winked at her. ‘Don’t thank me. Vince made me do it.’‘
Alessia was a special woman, able to constantly surprise him.She was ceaselessly strong and independent.She had her principles, but at the same time, she was magnanimous.‘Is there anything you want to ask me?’ he said.Alessia pondered the question. ‘If Sirena were still alive, would you still want to be with me?’‘I’m destined to be with you,’ Logan said. ‘Sirena and I were doomed to go nowhere.’In fact, if not for her sudden and shocking demise, Sirena would be just another ex-girlfriend to him, consigned to a corner of his memory and eventually forgotten.‘You and I were destined to meet and be together,’ he said earnestly. ‘Alessia, you are different from everyone else.’Alessia nodded. ‘Okay, I believe you.’They enjoyed a quiet and rejuvenating swim together.When they got out of the pool, Logan put his arms around her waist.This time, she didn’t pull back.Taking that as an encouraging sign, he lowered his head and kissed her gently on the forehead.‘I’m starving,’ she sai
‘Because my boss would dock my pay, and I don’t see the need for it.’ Alessia glanced around. ‘If you’d like to talk, we can do it right here. There’s a diner on the adjacent street, Uncle Erasmo’s. He doesn’t serve lobster, but makes some pretty decent grilled fish.’‘A diner?’ Albert scrunched up his nose. ‘Too crowded. Too noisy. I bet they serve food on disposable plates.’Alessia shrugged, her attitude clear: take it or leave it.‘Fine.’ Albert yielded.Alessia led the way.Uncle Erasmo greeted her with his usual enthusiasm and showed them to the private booth.Alessia ordered for the two of them. ‘Isn’t your assistant joining us?’‘He’s on duty.’ Albert gestured for his assistant to leave.Alessia got straight to the point. ‘Mr Wilde, what brings you here?’‘You’re a straightforward person,’ Albert commented approvingly. ‘So I’ll be frank as well. It’s about Logan. You should know that he’s my only grandchild, and I have high hopes for him. In fact, I’ve spent the past year sear
Early in the morning, Alessia took Veronica to the hospital.Veronica had been running a slight fever all night, showing no signs of improvement even after Alessia gave her some over-the-counter antipyretics.At the hospital lobby, they heard someone calling, ‘Alessia!’Turning around, Alessia spotted Brayden Scott.He was dressed in a suit and leather shoes but looked thinner and a little gaunt.‘Brayden?’ Veronica was equally shocked and felt a pang of disgust at the sight of him.Alessia shook her head. ‘I don’t know.’Brayden strode towards the two sisters.Looking at Alessia, his deep eyes flashed with a trace of affection.They hadn’t seen each other for weeks, and Brayden felt Alessia had become even more beautiful.She was dressed in a simple white lace blouse with ruffles on her sleeves, giving her a cute appearance.Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, making her look neat and young, revealing her slender neck and fair skin.Red lips bright and plump, she stood out in the cro
Alessia shuddered at the sight of Connie’s sinister smile.An impossible thought suddenly occurred to her.She grasped Connie’s wrist. ‘D-did you hurt him?’Connie just kept smiling.Alessia grabbed her shoulders and shook them hard. ‘Tell me, did you have something to do with my baby’s death?’‘You’ll never know,’ Connie said.Then she threw her head back and laughed.The maniacal laughter made Alessia shiver.That was when she confirmed Connie had really gone insane.The next instant, Connie lunged forward, going for Alessia’s throat. ‘I’m going to kill you!’‘Connie!’ Brayden threw himself in front of Alessia and grunted in pain as Connie elbowed him in the stomach.Veronica yanked Alessia back, out of harm’s range. ‘Brayden, she belongs to a mental institution!’‘I know,’ Brayden wheezed out.The cameras were now trained on Connie as she screeched and clawed at Brayden.‘I’m sorry.’ Brayden subdued a struggling Connie. ‘I’ll get her out of here.’***Throughout the rest of the day
‘What baby?’ Brayden looked away.‘You know what baby I’m talking about.’ Alessia sat up straight. ‘Brayden, look at me.’He turned to face her.‘You were at the hospital the day I gave birth.’ Alessia ignored the ache in her heart and plunged into the dark memory. ‘Doctors gave me anaesthesia. When I woke up, I had Milo with me. Connie told me the other baby was stillborn and the body was taken away by the doctors.’Brayden swallowed. ‘That’s right.’‘Did you see it?’‘See what?’‘The…baby’s body.’Brayden pressed his knees together. ‘No. It was Connie who took care of everything. I wasn’t allowed inside the delivery room. I don’t know anything.’‘Really?’‘Really?’ Brayden nodded as if to emphasise his point. ‘All I know is what Connie told me, which must be the same as what she told you.’Alessia pressed, ‘What about the body? What did the doctors do with it?’Brayden shrugged a shoulder. ‘I don’t know. I suppose there are standard protocols for things like that.’‘Connie told me s
After getting over the shock that Arlie was Logan’s biological son, Heath suggested maybe Sirena was the mother.But Logan ruled it out, since Arlie was born several months after Sirena passed away and she’d left the country long before that, anyway.Heath asked if Logan ever used the services of a sperm bank.Logan said no.Heath asked if Logan had ever slept with someone without using condoms.Logan said no, except for that time with Alessia.And then they ran out of ideas.The most likely scenario remained that Logan had slept with someone, possibly someone he didn’t remember, and the woman later either abandoned the baby or sold it off.Heath promised to look into it.Logan cursed inwardly.Heath was painting him out to be a Lothario.How could he not remember sleeping with someone?The night with Alessia was an exception, as he was drugged.But apart from Heath’s theory of a one-night stand with a mystery woman, Logan couldn’t come up with a logical explanation for Arlie’s existe
‘What happened?’ Alessia felt puzzled at Milo’s actions.Just then, Logan came out of the house, and she noticed that his eyes were filled with concern.When he saw her, guilt flashed in his eyes.‘Alessia,’ he said hoarsely.‘What’s wrong with Milo?’ Alessia asked him.Logan paused.He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.He only stood there, staring into her eyes dejectedly.Alessia looked down at Milo.‘Mommy, it’s alright,’ he murmured. ‘Nothing happened. I just want to go home. I only want to be with you today.’When Logan heard his words, he breathed a sigh of relief.Alessia looked at him. ‘I’m taking Milo home.’Logan nodded. ‘I’ll call you later.’‘No, you won’t!’ Milo suddenly shouted.Alessia was stunned.She didn’t expect the boy to be so hostile towards Logan.Logan was just as surprised.‘Maybe that’s not a good idea.’ Alessia held Milo’s hand and left.As Alex drove the both of them away, Alessia looked out of the window and saw Logan staring after