Twenty-four years ago, Chicago A young Adam Grey walked into the gates of the Goldman residence with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.One of the maids, who was watering the flowers outside, greeted Adam with a soft smile once she saw him. “Adam, what a lovely surprise.”Adam returned the smile. “Good morning, Silvia. Is anyone home?”“Mr. and Mrs. Goldman are out; the only one home is Miss Lauren, but she’s having a session with her therapist,” Silvia answered Adam.Adam furrowed his brow in confusion. “I thought that they only had sessions on Fridays. It’s Monday.”Silvia shrugged her shoulders. “It was an emergency. Miss Laura demanded that I call Dr. Smith immediately, then sent me out of the house to water the flowers, even though the gardener already did it this morning.” Silvia lowered her tone. “Between you and me, I think she’s spiralling, and I'm very worried about her. I know he’s your brother, but I blame Sebastian. His lack of affection is really lowering her self-estee
Present Day, Dr. Smith's Office“I know about your affair with your patient Laura Goldman, and if you don’t do what I ask, everyone else will know,” Connor said, his eyes darkening.Dr. Smith could swear that he felt the blood leaving his veins and turning his skin pale, as it did when he heard what Connor said. But quickly he snapped out of it and put an angry expression on his face, his jaw tightening.“Who the hell do you think you are? Coming into my office and making such outrageous accusations.” Dr. Smith walked to his door and opened it. “Leave now,” he ordered Connor, gesturing to the door.Connor simply smiled and plopped down on the armchair. He didn’t reply to Dr. Smith; instead, he got out his phone and opened his photo gallery.Dr. Smith’s face reddened with anger. “Didn't you hear me? I said to leave. Now”Connor scrolled up in his photo gallery and selected a photo. He stood up and held his phone up so that Dr. Smith could see the photo.“What are you…” Dr. Smith’s word
At the Elysian Syndicate, Jason was in his office reading stock reports. His anxiety grew as he noticed that his plan with Noratz still wasn’t going as he thought it would.But Jason convinced himself to stay calm.A knock on the door drew Jason’s attention from his desktop screen. “Come in,” he said.The door opened to reveal Amelia. She was holding a glass of water in her hand and smiled as she walked in. "Hello.”“Amelia, how are you?” Jason asked.Amelia shrugged. “So, so,” she said, placing the glass on Jason’s table and sitting on the chair facing him. “You?”Jason sighed “Same as you,” he said, but didn’t look at her face; his eyes were glued to his desktop.“Are you working on something? Is it a bad time?” Amelia asked.Jason sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "No, it’s not a bad time; I’m just looking at stock reports, that’s all.”“Worried about your investment in Noratz?” Amelia questioned.“Not worried, just checking on it,” Jason said, his nervous lip biting bet
“Good afternoon, Mr. Grey. I’m sorry to inform you that you may have to find another therapist as Dr. Smith has resigned.” the receptionist said.Jason’s face was twisted in confusion. “Did I just hear you right? Did you say that Dr. Smith is resigning?”“Yes, My Grey that’s correct. Excuse me, have a nice day.”“No wait,” Jason said, but it was already too late; the receptionist had hung up.Jason slowly dropped his phone on the table, struggling to understand why Dr. Smith suddenly resigned. During their session, he seemed to enjoy his job, and he didn’t give off the vibe of a person who was about to resign.It was all very strange to Jason, and he could feel that something was wrong sometimes, but he didn’t have a choice but to accept it. After all, he couldn’t force Dr. Smith to stay.“What am I going to do now?” Jason wondered aloud.Of course, there was the option of choosing one of the other two therapists that Timothy recommended, but Jason didn’t know if he wanted another th
Days passed, and in no time, Thursday came, the day before the elections.Toward the end of the work day, Amelia called Jason and Franklin into her office to update them on Patricia. They entered her office, anxious and apprehensive about what she would share.“Hey guys” Amelia welcomed them in a low tone, her lips pressed into a thin line and slightly turned down at the corners. From her expression, Jason and Franklin did not expect good news.“Brianna spoke to Patricia’s mother, and she said that Patricia is out of the country and doesn’t want to be bothered." Amelia relayed the message to them.Jason’s shoulders slumped, disappointment washing over him.“Damn it” Franklin cursed, “What’s going to happen now?”“There’s nothing much we can do. We just have to accept the fact that Kent won this round, I guess,” Amelia frowned.“What about the stock investment? Jason, is your plan working out like you thought it would?” Franklin asked, his tone riddled with urgency.Jason shrugged his
Jason waited impatiently in his car for Christopher to send him the address of the hospital. After what felt like forever to Jason, Christopher finally sent it, and just like that, Jason was off. He reached the hospital at record speed and dialled Christopher’s number as soon as he got there.“Christopher, I'm here. Where are you?” Jason asked.“The waiting area on the second floor”Without saying another word, Jason went into the hospital and went straight to the second floor. He spotted Christopher, who was carrying Lana in his arms, and went up to her.She was still making the soft wheezing sound that Jason heard on the phone. His heart broke as he saw her.“Poor thing is struggling to breathe,” Jason whispered to himself. He felt tears prickling his eyes and had to hold himself back from crying. “Don’t worry, princess, you’re going to be okay,” Jason whispered to Lana. Before he realised what he was doing, he began to whisper affirming words to her, and Christopher swore that he
Back at the Sinclair mansion, Jason and Cristopher got to work following the instructions given to them by Dr. Reynolds. They were both in the nursery, preparing Lana for bed. Jason gently laid her down in her crib, carefully tucking a light blanket around her, while Christopher double-checked the placement of the cool-mist humidifier.Lana squirmed slightly as Jason adjusted the blanket, her tiny fists waving in the air. “Make sure it’s close enough to her, but not too close,” Cristopher said, his voice tinged with lingering anxiety.Jason nodded, adjusting the humidifier to a perfect spot near the crib. “There. That should do it.”As the humidifier began to whir softly, releasing a gentle mist into the air, Lana’s breathing seemed to settle even more. She blinked up at the swirling mist, her eyes wide with curiosity. Christopher watched the fine vapour dissipate into the room, feeling a sense of calm wash over him as he saw Lana settle.“I think she’s already breathing easier,” Chri
“Tomorrow is the day, gentlemen. I'll have control over the Elysian Syndicate, and the Russians won’t be able to threaten us anymore,” Kent declared, a wide grin spreading across his face.That was Kent’s voice; Jason was sure of it.“What Russians is he talking about?” Jason asked himself“Jason, aren’t you coming?” Christopher whispered.Just then, Jason got the idea to record the conversation. He patted down his pockets to check for his phone, then got it out, but as soon as he turned it on, it ran out of battery.“Damn it” Jason cursed “Jason, what’s going on?” Christopher asked."Christopher, hand me your phone," Jason ordered, his tone urgent.“Kent, you’d better be as sure of your victory as you sound." Stefan’s baritone voice said. “You know Anatoly has already threatened you.”Jason became even more anxious to record the conversation. “Please just give it to me; it’s important.”Christopher had never seen Jason so desperate for something, so he nodded and put his hand in his