The fire wasn’t that bad, but something terrible happened. Van Gogh’s ‘original’ painting was blackened from the burn. What was worse, the entire painting had fallen to the floor. It was nothing but a pile of trash now. The art museum manager ran downstairs. The moment he saw the burnt-up canvas on the floor, he was shocked to the core. After a brief moment, he looked at Noah. “I can’t believe Van Gogh’s original painting was burnt to this extent. How are we going to explain ourselves? This is it. Our career is over!”Men don’t typically cry over small matters. However, the manager burst into tears and cried at the top of his lungs. This was a huge deal, after all. None of them would be able to keep it under wraps.Taking Noah’s hands, he discussed with him about their next move. He needed to know what they were going to say when the Neopolitans asked them about the painting. Noah responded swiftly, “I’ll take sole responsibility for this, Jedidiah! You don’t have to worry
The painting Gwynn was holding looked exactly the same as Van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night.’Where did she get a fake painting?She didn’t come alone, either. Kim was with her. There were also fifty handpicked security guards from the Sanders Group, each of them looking like they could take on a dozen guys by themselves. Archibald squinted in response. Gwynn walked over to him and spoke calmly. “This is Van Gogh’s original painting! The one that was burnt was a fake.”Her words shocked everyone!The old man sneered. “What makes you think I’ll believe you? Van Gogh’s original painting was hung up in the museum.”He gave a look to Saul, who knew what he meant and stepped forward. “We’re in the middle of a serious discussion, Ms. Gwynn! Things are getting hot. Perhaps you should go home and take a break there. It’s going to break Archibald’s heart to see you suffering from the heat.”She stopped Saul gently and said solemnly, “Of course, I know this is a serious discussion! I know w
Gwynn wore a blank expression. “Sure, I do. You did this for Anderson.”Archibald gave himself some time before he reacted. “Anderson’s still in prison! Are you going to tell me that he doesn’t deserve a second chance, too?”She lowered her gaze and said quietly, “You’re the one who doesn’t deserve a second chance!“You shouldn’t have messed with Noah’s brake pads.“If the kids and I were in the car that day, then I probably wouldn’t be able to stand before you now. You would’ve killed me and masked it as an accident! The same goes for Lorian and Holly!“I’m aware Anderson is all you care about.“Well, Lorian and Holly are the only people I care about! I’ll do everything to avenge them if you put them in harm’s way. I don’t care if it means doing something to you or the Templetons’ reputation. In fact, I don’t care if Anderson survives it!”…It took Gwynn everything she’s got.After all, she was saying something this heartless to her biological father. It actually pained her
Half an hour later, a black limousine pulled into the villa and parked at the front porch. Once the car stopped, Noah carried Gwynn out of the car.She had slept the entire drive. He carried her through the luxurious door and living room before climbing the stairs and heading toward the master bedroom. He didn’t even break a sweat when he set her down on the bed. Sitting by the side of the bed, he brushed her tousled hair aside.Then, he touched her perky cheeks. He simply couldn’t have enough of her. At the next moment, he heard some footsteps from the door. It didn’t take him long to know that it was Holly. The little girl saw her mom sleeping the moment she came in. So, she tiptoed toward her Dad, and whispered, “Is Mom tired?”“Yeah. She’s exhausted.” He patted his daughter’s head. Holly’s eyes were big and black, glinting brilliantly. Then, she tiptoed over, cupped her mom’s cheeks, and gave her a kiss. It looked like she, too, couldn’t have enough of her mom. He
Noah hung up the phone. He saw the bewildered look on Gwynn’s face and said softly, “It’s true. He’s exactly who you think he is!”This revelation shattered the way she saw the world. After a brief moment, she asked in a daze, “Why would he do this? He’s Archibald’s chief assistant. He answers to no one but him.”He leaned on the headboard and stared at her with unblinking eyes, naked lust in his eyes. She couldn’t take his gaze and lowered her head. Only then did he tear his gaze away in satisfaction. His tone was cold when he spoke. “Money can solve almost everything in the world, Gwynn. Everyone craves for it! Even you fell for me because of the amount of money I used while I was trying to win your heart… Fine. Okay. I won’t bring it up again. I swear.“With that said, I don’t think he’s just doing it for the money. There’s some other reason here, I think.”…Gwynn sat next to him and fell into a trance, listening to him. Much like the way a loyal dog would do. He loo
Gladys secretly loved the drama of the moment.Noah took the snacks she offered him. He got into the car and buckled himself in. Then, he thought about it and made a phone call to Kim. It was the middle of the night, but she had just received a villa from him. So, her voice was gentle when she spoke. “Is there anything I can do for you, Mr. Noah?”He said faintly, “Have the public relations department make an announcement first thing in the morning. Gwynn has accepted my proposal. We’re going to get married this year.”She was so shocked that she dropped her jaw. “You’re getting married again, Mr. Noah. Is it necessary to make it a big thing?!”He raises his delicate eyebrow. “What’s the matter? Why can’t I make it a spectacle when I get married again?”Not only was he going to make it a spectacle, but he was going to make sure that everyone in the city knew about it. Every last soul in Brookesville would know that he managed to win Gwynn’s heart again and that they were about t
Noah was shocked. He still needed some time to process this information. After all, he had a vasectomy. It’d take a miracle for him to impregnate anyone… And that was what happened, apparently. He was having another baby with Gwynn.He was stunned for several seconds. That ticked her off. Pushing him away gently, her voice grew cold when she spoke. “Tell me you aren’t wondering about who the baby’s father is! If you’re going to wonder about something like this, then we should just call off the marriage. You don’t have to force yourself to say that this baby’s yours.”“That’s not what I mean!” he responded hurriedly. Then, he cupped her belly as if it was the most precious thing in the world. He caressed it with his palm back and forth. He even asked her something dumb. “Is it a boy or a girl?”She smacked his hand away. “I’m only pregnant for a little over a month. How am I supposed to know?”At the next moment, he swooped her up and headed into the bedroom. Worried that he w
“The director of the Sanders Group has successfully proposed to his wife. A big wedding ceremony is to be expected soon.”There were even pictures in the newspaper. The article was probably done in a rush too because they used an old picture. Noah and Gwynn looked much younger than they were right now. While Gwynn still looked perky, it was a massively different look compared to her current appearance. Anderson was in a daze, staring at it.The next thing he knew, someone snatched the paper out of his hands. It was Talia. Her voice was thick with sarcasm when she spoke. “She’s getting married, for Heaven’s sake. Why are you still so reluctant to let her go? Actually, you’re reluctant to let a lot of things go. Who in the world do you actually love, Anderson?“I guess it’s hard to choose, huh! On one hand, you’ve got your beloved Gwynn. On the other hand, you’ve got the bitch who’s pregnant with your baby.”…He was shocked beyond reason. Reaching out, he grabbed her hand