"Grover, my old pal. It's good to see you, it's been what…ten years?""Twelve actually.""My, you haven't aged a bit.""Neither have you Festus.""That's a lie but thank you for your flattery.""I had no idea you still remembered the mansion.""Please, this isn't exactly the kind of place a man would forget.""What do you mean?""Don't you know you're the one living the dream?""I'm afraid I still don't understand you.""You get to stay in such a huge house, and I saw your daughter when I came in so it means they get to live here with you.""Well, it's all thanks to a very generous person.""I'm guessing you found your Young master?""I did, and at the right time too.""Oh?""Yes, he was in a very difficult situation when I found him.""And he's better now?""I can't help but think that his life might be in constant danger. As nice a man as his father was, he had lots of enemies, many of which are still alive…amd I fear what they could do to him if they were to find out about his exis
"Come on Mr Williamss, stay with us." The doctor dabbed at his sweaty forehead before proceeding with trying to revive him.Ivy sat next to her husband, just like she had been doing every other day, except this time, something happened.Something bad.Lucas started convulsing while foaming from the mouth. Ivy had gotten terribly scared and she ran to get help. The doctor rushed in with some nurses and they tried to get him under control.About one horrible minute later, Lucas stopped moving completely and they had been trying to revive him since then.Ivy watched in horror as the doctor tried without luck to revive Lucas. He pushed some buttons on the defibrillator while another nurse tried giving him CPR."Ready, clear." He pressed it to his chest but nothing happened. They repeated the process over and over again and Ivy had began to lose hope.She dropped to her knees, clutching her chest hard as painful tears flowed uncontrollably down her petrified paled face. "Please…don't leav
"Asides from you and your friends, do you let anyone else come into your husband's room?""No, not at all.""Okay, what about when you're not around? Maybe when you run an errand or you just went out to eat?"Ivy didn't understand why the doctor was asking such questions but she was having a bad feeling. "Well…whenever I'm out, Michael usually stays with him.""Michael…a friend of Mr Williams?""Yeah.""Will he be here today?""I'm not sure, but I can call him.""Okay. Can you get him to see me when he's around?""Sure. Doctor, what is the problem? Did something happen to Lucas?""There's no easy way to say this ma'am but, I have reasons to believe that your husband was poisoned.""Poisoned?" Who would do such a horrible thing to him? Lucas barely had any friends and she doubted if he had any enemies either."I'm afraid so. That's why I need to know who comes in and out of this room.""Other than our friends, we don't get any other visitors." Not even her family came to visit."Okay,
In life, it is said that you can learn to grow stronger in any storm, you can learn how to turn disadvantage into advantage, and that will be your 'turning straw into gold' moment. But it was challenging, so very challenging. Ivy had no idea how she was supposed to do that, she didn't even know where she could start from. Her mornings were filled with tears from watching her husbad that had been put on life support, and her evenings were crying herself to sleep, praying for a miracle to happen.She knew she was supposed to be stromg, for him, for their son, for their family but…it was unbelievably difficult. Seeing someone you love dearly in a difficult situation was bound to break you.That day was no different, she had woken up early, and after checking on her husband, she then proceeded in counting the hours until nightfall.The only difference this day had was rain.The downpour was so heavy that to be caught unawares in it meant being drenched to the skin. Each drop was as large
Choices.Always difficult to make, especially if that choice meant going against the very thing you stand for. As that song says, it's not what you do, it's the way that you do it - that your intentions and thoughts are infused with love and the determination to get things right - that gets results.Decisions should come from your sense of empathy and creative perspective taking, combined with logic and grounded in reality. For when we make choices this way, they are better choices, ones that belong in the normal world we kige in.He wished it was that easy for him.He was given an opportunity to become his dream self, he would have a house-his own house- and he would have a company of his own. Who would turn down such an offer?He had given it many thoughts and there only seemed to be two results. Do what was best for he and his family, or what was best for Lucas…and he usually ended up in the same answer. "Sometimes it was good to be selfish."After deliberating it for almost a week
FLASHBACK.Sixteen years ago, James Williams sat at a local bar with his long time friend and business partner."You can't be serious James, this is quite unfair to me.""But any more interest you get will be rather unfair to me.""Can't you do this much for me? We are friends after all.""I can not displease myself because of our relationship. I'm giving you a whole thirty percent profit because we are friends.""Can't we just make it an equal fifty?""No Festus, you know we can't do that. Okay, how about this…why don't I add an extra five percent on it? Hmm? How does that sound?""So that'll be thirty five?""It is a good deal Festus.""For you maybe.""To be fair, I did use my money to execute this contract we're talking about here.""But I introduced the contract to you!.""...and that is why I am offering you thirty five percent profit from it. This is a very generous offer Festus, do not throw it away.""Why are you insisting on that thirty five percent? That's petty of you.""
"So, Chuck said you told him to tell me that Mike was acting strange. Could you explain more on that?""Yes well, first he stopped spending time at the hospital. Before, Mike and Avery could be with me all day, and they always visited daily.Avery would come in the morning to take Desmond-my son-and bring him back in the afternoon…it was our daily routine. But now, she doesn't even show up at all.""At all.""Yeah. And Mike's visitation was cut down to half, he only shows up like twice a week or so and whenever he did, he never spent more than five minutes.""Hmm…is that so?""Yeah.""Okay, I'll keep an eye on him as well.""Okay, thanks.""You're welcome. Have you noticed any…strange visitors lately?""Hmm…no, not that I can think of.""Okay, just be at alert.""Okay."★★★"Hello Mrs Williams." Kelly called out, startling Ivy a bit."Oh hey Kelly.""Coffee?""Thanks." She accepted the warm liquid from her.Kelly, Ivy's new and sudden best friend. The only constant guest she always ha
Family. Your blood. Your clan. Your genre. Your household. Your kindred.People have many, many names for the word 'family' but yet, it felt like they hardly knew what it meant.People walk around daily using the word freely, calling people family only to still end up betraying them or hurting them. A family is supposed to be your home, your comfort zone. A place where you never have to re-earn your spot at the table, a place where once you've been accepted, you are supposed to be protected, to be kept safe, forever, no matter what.Ivy wished her family was like that.Ivy's family was the complete opposite of your typical family. Ever since Ivy was younger, she never really experienced the joy of being in a family. All through her education, it was just her and Peter, they went to school together, they went back home together. They went to bed together, they woke up together. Even when she got her first period, Lucas was the one who helped her through it.Now she was basically a gr