The four of them exchanged awkward glances, at a loss for words.Koven, realizing the show was over, jumped in with a grin and said, "Come on, let's go grab a bite. How about barbecue? Now that everything's settled, we should celebrate, right?"Charlie could not help but smile at Koven's suggestion. His silence was a quiet nod of approval."Let's head home," Matthew said, taking Lucy's hand and leading her away from the chaos in the theme park.Lucy glanced back and caught Koven's crestfallen expression. She tugged at Matthew's sleeve and murmured, "Come on, let's grab a bite. Chelsea and I are starving, and look how late it's gotten. We haven't even had dinner yet. You wouldn't want us to go hungry, would you?"Matthew, hearing her plea, reluctantly turned to Koven and asked, "Where's the barbecue place? Lead the way, will you?"Koven's mood instantly lifted. He linked arms with Charlie and Hudson and bounced off toward the theme park's exit.A few steps behind, Hugh watched Ch
With a nod, Charlie departed, and the remaining six headed into a cozy private room."Lucy, pick whatever catches your eye and it's yours," Koven offered, sliding the menu across the table to her.Lucy hesitated before scanning the menu. She was not one to fuss over food. She would happily eat whatever was put in front of her."No worries, I'm good with anything. You guys pick." Lucy chuckled awkwardly, nudging the menu back to Koven."Alright. Hudson, you choose," Koven said, handing the menu to Hudson.Hudson, feeling Koven's eager gaze, reluctantly made the order."I guess I'll just order for the group. If anyone has a craving, just voice out," Hudson said, looking around at the others.Chelsea and Hugh gave quick nods.The six friends found themselves sitting in silence, the vibe turning oddly tense.Lucy, wanting to break the ice, swapped seats with Hugh.Now sitting next to Chelsea, Lucy dove into storytelling mode."Hey Chelsea, get this. There was this guy who propos
Hugh, sitting next to them, saw Matthew's delayed reaction and nudged him. "You're going to be a father, man." Hugh's voice was steady. It was not his partner, Chelsea, who was expecting, after all. Matthew finally connected the dots. Lucy had mentioned it had been two months without her period. That meant she...With that thought, Matthew hurried to Lucy, his expression one of sheer disbelief. "Lucy, are we really having a baby?" Lucy glanced at the group, her cheeks flushing with shyness as she murmured, "I'm not sure yet. It's been two months, but I'm still not certain."Without another word, Matthew scooped Lucy up and headed for the door. "What's the rush? Where to?" Lucy protested, squirming in his arms. "Off to the hospital for a check-up," he declared. Lucy was taken aback. Why was everything happening so quickly? She blurted out, "Hey, let's at least finish dinner. I'm starving here. Even if I'm pregnant, you wouldn't want your baby to go hungry, right?"Matthew pau
Lucy rose with the dawn. Matthew had already prepared breakfast and set it out on the table.She surveyed the feast before her, exchanged a warm look with Matthew, and began to eat. Matthew watched her from across the table with a wide grin on his face."Once you're done, let's head to the hospital for a check-up to see what we need to watch out for," Matthew said, his voice thick with emotion.Lucy's cheeks flushed with a rosy hue. She nodded shyly and murmured, "Okay."Meanwhile, Koven was in Hudson's office. He could barely contain his excitement. He was eagerly awaiting Lucy's arrival to share the joyous news....Breakfast concluded, and Matthew escorted Lucy to the Third People's Hospital.Thanks to Matthew's connections, they bypassed the usual wait and went straight in for the examination.Lucy reclined on the examination bed with Matthew at her side. They were both fixated on the nearby monitor.Then, the doctor beside them chimed in, "You're having twins, a boy and a
Koven stood frozen with his phone in hand. He did not even notice that Matthew had hung up. He was lost in his own world until Hudson approached, concern etched on his features."What's got you so spooked?" Hudson prodded. "Something happened? Spill it, man."Snapping out of his daze, Koven's grip found Hudson's arm, and his voice boomed with disbelief. "Twins! A boy and a girl!"Hudson could not help but share in the excitement. He imagined strolling down the street with a kid on each arm, basking in the envy of passersby. Who cared if they were not his? No rule said he could not enjoy the company of someone else's children. The thought alone was enough to send him reeling with joy. He took a moment to sit and steady his racing heart.…Meanwhile, Matthew and Lucy had wrapped up their meal and set out for Hudson's company. With Lucy expecting, they could not risk her getting too tired. They would make sure Hudson gave her extra breaks and keep an eye on her. For once, Matthew
Chelsea, still not quite catching on but feeling like she had been played, quickly shifted back to her usual tone. "Lucy, what are you up to? Are you joking around? Are you getting bold? Just you wait, I'll come after you this afternoon!"Lucy, realizing she might have taken the joke too far, hurriedly apologized, "Oh, I'm so sorry! Really! I went to the hospital with Matthew this morning. It's twins, a boy and a girl."Hearing about the twins, Chelsea's eyes lit up, and she could not contain her joy. She shouted with excitement even through the phone.Lucy, hearing Chelsea's shouts, quickly pulled the phone away and covered her ears."Wow, twins? That makes me the godmother, right? Holy cow! You've totally caught me off guard, Lucy. You're incredible. "I'm swamped today, but I'll swing by tomorrow to catch up. We'll do a little shopping spree and get you some chic maternity wear. We'll also pick out some adorable outfits for the babies."Lucy's grin was so broad at the news tha
Seeing Hugh like this, Chelsea felt sorry for him, but she thought that it was too early for her to have a child. Besides, she had not had enough fun yet. Well, it was not just about having fun. She could barely manage her own time! If a child came into the picture all of a sudden, what was she going to do?If Hugh really wanted a child, she would still be willing to have one because a good man like him was hard to find these days.…When Lucy and Matthew got to the office, they saw Koven and Hudson running toward Lucy with big smiles while ignoring Matthew.Seeing the two of them standing on either side of Lucy made Matthew uncomfortable. Any man would feel the same in this situation.“Wow, twins! How far along are you? How much longer until I can meet my godchildren?” Koven asked, grinning from ear to ear.Hudson stood there, looking just as happy. He would glance at Lucy and then at Matthew every now and then. His eyes were full of blessings for the couple, but more than any
"Sunrise Group is facing bankruptcy,” Matthew said as he lit a cigarette and looked out the window.Hudson and Koven exchanged puzzled glances before quickly sitting down on either side of him and asking what was going on.“After Sunrise Group started having problems, I had Kent buy out all the shares from their shareholders at a high price, including their ongoing projects. Many shareholders have already withdrawn their investments from Sunrise Group.“Now, the company is facing significant risks, and the police are investigating their financial records. From what I know, it’s likely that they’ll find accounting issues with the project we collaborated on, but the crisis has been averted for us since we suspended the project with Sunrise Group. We won't proceed with it any further,” Matthew explained to the both of them.Although Koven could not fully grasp what he meant, he understood that Matthew's side had not suffered any losses and that Sunrise Group was on the verge of bankru