Maia took the elevator and went upstairs, leaving the men behind. Cedric turned toward Eddie and commented. “Looks like you have a death wish to dare mess with your wife.”Eddie nodded his head nervously. “I think I’m already dead.” Cedric did not reply, as he stepped into the elevator and went upstairs, too.Baz smiled at Eddie as he greeted him. “How can I help you, Baz?” Eddie glanced at Baz as he massaged his temples. “Don’t worry about me, Mr. Eddie. It’s just that I think I should warn you that the next time you’re at it, you should be more careful. Ms. Gigi was telling us how there was a bed-quake.”Eddie already felt his head spinning. After listening to Baz's comments, he stood rooted to the spot. There was nothing more he wanted to do than bury himself on the spot. “There are two people I can never mess with, one of whom is my wife and the other my daughter.” Baz could not endure any longer as he turned around and laughed quietly at Eddie’s reaction. Back upstairs,
Maia saw the blood as well but continued to pretend that she did not. Everyone in the family was aware of her condition. There was nothing more they could do. Cedric quietly handed her a glass of water.Lauren smiled as she took it and drank it. “Lauren, don’t rush.” Maia was worried that she would choke herself. Lauren just waved nonchalantly. “I have to finish the water my son gave me.”Just then, a knock came through the door. A housekeeper walked into the room with a tray of snacks and another glass of water. “Lauren, since you’ve managed to finish the glass of water from Cedric, how about finishing this glass as well?” “Sure.” Maia handed Lauren another glass of water as Lauren started to tear up.“My girl, I don’t deserve your kindness. I know that you’ve noticed I haven’t had much to drink. That’s why you’re trying to feed me, right?” Lauren commented as she drank the other glass of water slowly. Maia nodded. “I noticed this the last time we had a video call. I t
“I’ve been kept there for so long that I forgot how foods outside taste. It didn’t help that Grandma hired chefs with Michelin stars. Their cooking was so top-notch that I had to have at least five to six meals every day.”Amanda felt so sorry for herself and added, “I loved you the most, and you also said that you loved me more than anyone in the world. How could you make fun of my belly?” Then, tears started to fall.Eddie was worried when he saw her crying. “I’m not making fun of your belly, Amanda. I’m telling you, that’s the last thing I want to do. Gigi twisted my words.”Wheeling himself, he moved in front of her and grabbed her hand. “Don’t you believe me, Amanda? I’ve loved and waited for you for so long. I spent days and nights thinking about you. Don’t you believe in me?”“Well…” He was heartbroken to see her in this state. Then, he produced a handmade wristband from his pocket. “Do you remember this?”She looked at the worn-out wristband. It was handmade. So, it didn
Lauren looked at Maia and smirked before yelling, “Are you okay, Eddie?”Gigi also shouted, “Daddy!”Amanda heard the loud thud and stopped in her tracks. Looking at everyone’s expression, she realized something must’ve gone wrong!Whipping her head around, she looked at the garden. Eddie’s wheelchair was overturned and he was on the floor. She raced toward him without any hesitation.“Eddie!” She was worried sick about him, “Are you okay? How did you fall from your wheelchair? Are you hurt?” Her eyes were red to begin with. The sight of him falling straight up brought her to tears.“Everything’s fine. I’m okay.” His legs were limp on the floor and he extended his hand to her, “I didn’t mean to make fun of you, Amanda, I swear. You have to believe me.”Nodding, she said, “I do. I believe in you, Eddie.” Then, she picked the wheelchair up and said, “I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you.” She wiped her tears and continued, “It’s my fault that you fell out of your wheelchair. I’m
“She was so happy when she learned that both of you had forgiven her. She wanted to make it up to both of you with whatever time she had left. However, time is against her.“Lauren might not let it show, but she knew better than anyone about her condition. She’d tell everyone she was okay every time she had an episode, but she was just putting on a brave face. She didn’t want us to worry about her.“The truth was, she really wished Cedric would call her ‘Mom,’ even if it was just once. It’s one of her dying wishes.”Amanda looked pleadingly into Maia’s eyes. It took her less than a second to catch Amanda’s drift. “I know what you’re trying to say, Amanda. I also know that Lauren wanted Cedric to call her ‘Mom,’ but you have no idea what he went through as a child. “Not only did his biological mother not love him, but she deceived and manipulated him.” Maia felt suffocated at the mention of Cedric’s feelings.Looking at Amanda, she continued, “All of us are capable of processing
Lauren looked at Gigi and rubbed her head with a smile. “You’re so sweet, Gigi. I’m not in pain anymore, and it’s all thanks to you. I think I’m going to buy you a tiara next time so that it’ll grant you strength to magically remove pain!”Gigi’s eyes glinted. She extended her hands and started to count using her fingers. “You’ve bought me eight tiaras, Grandma! I’ve got lots of them! Can you give it to your friend’s younger sister?”“My friend’s sister?” Lauren took her hand and asked, “Who do you mean?”“T-That friend you always hang out with.”“Oh. You mean Juniper.”Nodding, the little girl said, “Juniper’s younger sister loves the tiara you bought me! Can I give one of mine to her?”“Go right ahead.” Lauren nodded. “I bought it for you as a gift. That means it belongs to you. It’s up to you what you want to do with it!”Lauren looked at her granddaughter and grinned from ear to ear. Then Maia poured her a cup of warm water. She looked at the smile on Maia’s face and said,
Lauren’s condition might not have been too optimistic, but she was walking on cloud nine now.“This moment is worth everything I’ve sacrificed for.”…It was around 8 p.m. when Gigi dozed off. Marcus came to take Amanda and Gigi back when he saw the little girl sleeping in his sister’s arms. He went over and hugged Amanda. “Why did she fall asleep so early today?”“Perhaps she was tired from playing all day. Maia is here today, and Gigi was practically hopping around the whole day.”“Is Maia back in Nordic City?”Nodding, she said, “Yeah. She arrived at the manor this morning.”“Tomorrow’s the party for Nordic College’s hundredth anniversary. Is she going to attend it?”“Sure thing.” She responded again. Then, she glanced at Marcus and said softly, “Do you still have a thing for Maia? It won’t work. I love her too, but she and Cedric are such a perfect match.” Her tone grew more worried as she spoke, “You didn’t see how much he cherished her, Marcus. The way he looks at Mai
Amanda was the only woman that Eddie loved. He was also a novice when it came to love experiences. “I’ve never laughed at you. I love every part of you, even your cute little belly.” “That’s because you think it’s funny!” Amanda hesitated and refuted him. “That’s not true! I love you! It has nothing to do with your appearance. I love you because you’re you. After all these years, can’t you see that I meant it?” If it was possible, Eddie would even tear his heart out just to prove to her that he was not lying to her.When Amanda saw how worried Eddie was, she started to hesitate. Her will to close the door in his face had weakened. Eddie could easily read what Amanda was thinking. She was as pure as a piece of white paper.“Amanda, did someone say something to you?” Amanda nodded at Eddie’s question. “Who is it?” “The guy living across.” Amanda pointed at the door across her place. That building was one of Nordic City’s most extravagant residences. Only those with wealth and