âMom wants to recuperate in Bayside City for a while, but the Yard Family wants to amend the family tree and shift the ancestral grave, so there are quite a number of things to be done. We thought weâd stay around and help out since Mom isnât emotionally stable, so we might not be returning so soon,â Callum replied. He spoke in a respectful and meticulous manner, as if he was reporting to his supervisor; there wasnât a hint of intimacy in his tone.
To the boys, Jordan was practically a stranger. Apart from the contribution of his sperm, he had never given them anything more. During the toughest periods of their lives when they were younger, Jordan would disappear and leave them with their mother. Furthermore, Jordan had other women and children outside that often bullied them. Callum lowered his gaze after answering to Jordan to conceal any hint of distaste in his eyes.
Jordan seemed a little disappointed by Callumâs reply. âWe still need you boys to handle the matters over at Ronney City.â
âIâve dealt with everything before I left. I left Henry and Ryan in charge of the fashion week, and there havenât been any other large events happening recently. We can handle the rest of it remotely, so you donât have to worry about it, Dad,â Callum uttered. It seemed like Jordan had begun to grow suspicious of Anna and the twins recently, and they decided that theyâd simply leave him behind and let him continue being suspicious if that were the case. But Jordan didnât notice anything then, as he simply nodded before he went up to rest in another guest room.
After a restless night, Anna was extremely weak the next morning. Their personal doctor dropped by to check on her before prescribing medication for her. Her sickness wasnât a physical one but a mental one; she was easily triggered, and her mental health was deteriorating. This left her susceptible to all sorts of mental illnesses, so she had to depend on long-term medications to stabilize her emotions.
The doctor said that such cases like hers were due to a traumatic incident that occurred in the past, but this illness had been with Anna for her whole life, even before she gave birth to Callum and Cade. She couldnât recall anything from her past, and she didnât know what she had been through then.
The doctor had a long discussion with Jordan before they both left. Jordan didnât return after that, and no one knew when heâd ever reappear again. They didnât look forward to his visits, anyway. Carmen dropped by again that afternoon, with a basket carrying some food and two nearly frozen roses. The roses were from her grandfather, and the food was her way of showing her appreciation to them for allowing her to play with the dogs.
Carmen was shocked to see Anna with an IV drip the moment she stepped into the house. âAre you sick, Miss Beautiful?â
âMiss Beautifulâs sick, so she canât play with you today,â Callum quickly said.
âWell, should I sing her a song, then? I have a great voice!â Carmen offered. Callum was worried that the young girl might be disturbing Anna, but Anna gestured for him to allow it. Although she wasnât feeling too well, she was still pleased to see Carmen around. âCome over here and sing me a song,â she uttered.
Carmen placed her basket down before she began to sing and dance cheerily. âThe fields are soaked and the rainâs over⦠The trees are growing faster than ever⦠La la la la, Iâm a little boss who sells the newspaperâ¦â
Callum leaned his body against the doorframe with a cup in his hand as he listened to the young girlâs song. He was surprised to hear how great her voice sounded; it felt like his ears were filled with honey when he listened to her sing. Carmenâs grandmother, Elizabeth, had a voice that had left a mark on the last two generations of Cethosians, and Carmenâs father had an amazing voice himself; hence, it made sense that this young girl inherited the same talents. Her voice was like some sort of magnet that attracted everyoneâs attention. Since God had blessed her with such wonderful talents, itâd be a shame if she didnât grow up to be a star. But conversely, itâd also be a shame if she became a starâshe had such a huge family business that she could take over if she wished to.
Anna beamed happily as Carmen hopped and pranced around the room while singing. The splitting headache that had been bothering Anna the entire day miraculously disappeared; she felt like she finally found peace as all the anxiety and fear seemed to have left her body. Right then, Sophia knocked on the front door of the Yards Residence. She was furious after she found out about Carmen walking over here, and she paid them a visit to drag her daughter back home. Cade was the one who opened the door.
âWhereâs my daughter?â Sophia asked as she stuck her head inside.
âShh.â Cade pointed up to the second floor, and they both heard Carmenâs sweet voice coming from the room. âSophia, my mother has been sick for the past two days. Your daughterâs voice is really helping to cure her headaches! Can I beg you to leave your daughter here for a while more? Just a while more; Iâll send her back to you by noon.â Cadeâs eyes were filled with sincerity.
âYour motherâs sick?â Sophia felt her heart aching upon hearing that Anna had fallen sick. She glanced up to the second floor and lowered her voice without even realizing it herself. âWhat⦠illness is it? Is it serious?â she asked in a whisper. When she looked into the house, she caught a glimpse of someone who looked like a doctor gathering his medical equipment.
âItâs nothing; just an old illness that sheâs been dealing with for a long while. She just needs a lot of rest,â
Cade explained. âI see.â Sophia no longer seemed interested in dragging her daughter home, and she absent-mindedly walked away. She didnât even turn around when Cade called out for her. Should I tell Cooper that Annaâs sick?
Sophia went straight to Villa No. 2 after going home, as Cooperâs office was located there. Cooper and Linus would often have their meetings and do their work there before they would return to Sophiaâs to eat and rest. When Sophia went in, Cooper was having an online conference call with people from the Michel Group. She exchanged glances with Linus outside the meeting room, and he threw her a warning stare while gesturing for her not to enter the room. She didnât push the door open, but instead stood outside and listened to the contents of discussion between Cooper and an elder of Michel Group.
âSheâs the fiancée your ancestors had picked for you. If it werenât for her help, you wouldnât have managed to obtain your position here so easily. Like the old Cethosian saying goes, donât bite the hand that feeds you,â the elder uttered. Cooper has a fiancée?! And he relied on her to obtain his position? Sophia perked up her ears as she was shocked to hear this. The elder spoke in a stern tone, and he had a thick and posh British accent that was hard to understand. âSheâs on the way now. You have to be well-prepared; I hope you can get married to her as soon as possible.â
Get married? Does that mean Cooper is going to get married soon? Am I going to have a stepmother? But Cooper didnât seem interested. âI have no plans of doing so,â he muttered. Sophia felt a rollercoaster of emotions within her after listening to their conversation. Is Cooper really thinking about marriage? Will I have a stepmother? No! I donât want a stepmother!
The elders lost their temper and began to criticize Cooper on breaking his promise. Unconcerned by this, Cooper casually hung up on them before he walked out of the room with a cold expression. He was surprised to see Sophia outside. âWhat are you doing here, my darling?â
Sophia felt a little uneasy. She previously hoped for Cooper to find himself a wife, but she now felt a little unhappy to hear that he was about to marry someone. I have a mother nowâ¦
âSheâs⦠sick. Carmenâs visiting her now,â Sophia muttered. Once Cooper heard that âthe womanâ was sick, the cold expression he wore quickly fell apart to reveal the anxiety between his brows. He patted Sophia on the shoulder before he rushed off without saying anything more.
He clearly hadnât let go of her. They were together for 30 long years, after all; he couldnât just let go even if he wanted to. They were deeply in love, but they simply werenât fated to be togetherâ¦