Blake Mansion – Dining Room
After the maids finished setting the dining table, Yvette sent for Ayden and her husband. Soon, the family of four—Mr. Blake, Yvette, Ayden, and Eden—sat together, said a short prayer, and began eating in silence.
"Oh honey, you remember my friend Valerie?" Yvette suddenly asked, breaking the quiet.
"Yes, what about her?" Mr. Blake responded.
"Her son is getting married. He got a girl pregnant and decided to take responsibility. Not like some people," she said sharply, shooting a look at Ayden, "who took advantage of an innocent girl and thought money would fix it."
Ayden clenched his jaw. That jab was obviously directed at him.
"Well, tell her I said congratulations. She must have raised her son well," Mr. Blake said calmly.
Eden glanced nervously between her parents and Ayden, who quietly continued eating. She knew this dinner wouldn't end peacefully.
"I tried my best with mine too," Yvette muttered. "Or maybe I failed."
Ayden set his cutlery down and looked at his mother. "If your husband hadn't sent someone to get me drugged that night, maybe you wouldn't be questioning how you raised me," he said coldly. "Stop expecting me to take responsibility for something that was a mistake."
"A mistake you refused to own up to," Yvette fired back, her voice rising.
The tension thickened.
"Mum, please, let's just eat," Eden pleaded gently.
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Yvette snapped. "Even if there's no legal obligation, the fact that she was your first should mean something, Ayden."
"You don't even know if she's pregnant with your child," Yvette added, her eyes beginning to glisten with unshed tears.
"If she were pregnant, she would've come looking for me," Ayden said sharply.
Yvette let out a bitter laugh. "What did you do after that night? You tried to pay her off like she was nothing. You think she'd come running to you after that?"
She shook her head, the tears finally falling.
"If someone had done that to your sister, they'd be six feet under by now. So why do it to someone else's daughter?"
That was it. Ayden stood abruptly. Seeing his mother cry was too much. Without saying another word, he walked out of the dining room.
The Next Morning – Bree & Avery's Apartment
"I don't want to be picked if you're not," Avery said softly as she massaged Bree's swollen feet.
"Why would you say that?" Bree asked, looking at her.
"I can't leave you like this. Not when you're in this condition."
"You didn't get me pregnant," Bree said, chuckling. They both laughed.
"You know," Avery said, "I have a strong feeling we'll both be picked."
"You're just trying to make me feel better. We both know no one's picking a pregnant woman," Bree replied.
"There's nothing impossible with God," Avery said with confidence.
"This client must be really important," Bree murmured.
"When's your next appointment?"
"Next month. I still can't believe I made it this far," Bree said quietly. "At some point, I just wanted to give up. I attempted suicide twice… but I couldn't do it."
Avery froze, her face falling.
"I owe you, Avery. You saved me. Thank you," Bree said, voice breaking.
"Oh my God, Bree… I didn't know. I'm so sorry," Avery said, pulling her into a hug. "Please never think that way again. I wouldn't have forgiven myself if anything happened to you."
Xander's Mansion – That Afternoon
After the intense dinner, Eden decided to stay with Xander for a few days.
"Mum really knows how to push his buttons," Xander said, laughing as he poured her a drink.
"She always has," Eden replied with a shrug. "Honestly, I thought five months would be enough time for them to let it go. But Ayden's so damn stubborn."
"They're trying to respect his space," Xander said. "If they really wanted to force the issue, they'd have tracked that girl down themselves."
"True. They're going easy on him, and I don't even know why," Eden said.
"They can't force Ayden to do anything," Xander replied.
"Let's not talk about him," Eden said, crawling into his lap and kissing him. "Let's talk about us."
"Can you two please get a room?" Adrian's voice cut through the moment as he walked in unannounced.
"Why don't you get a girl and stop third-wheeling?" Xander retorted.
"Maybe then you wouldn't crash people's homes," Eden added.
"Like I care," Adrian grumbled, settling on the couch.
"You and Ayden are impossible," Eden muttered.
"Could I at least get a drink before the judgment begins?" Adrian asked.
"You're an uninvited guest. Either serve yourself or see yourself out," Eden replied sassily.
Adrian stared at her, trying to figure out if she was joking. Eden didn't flinch.
"Don't look at me like that. It wasn't me who humped a girl and walked away," Adrian said with faux innocence.
Eden burst out laughing. "At least you got her name. Unlike my brother."
Adrian smirked. "Anyway, Ayden said the hospital sent the nutritionist files. He wants us to help him go through them tomorrow."
"Who needs a nutritionist?" Eden asked.
"Ayden. Dr. Michael said it's necessary after that allergy incident," Xander explained.
"He better pick a male," Eden said.
"They sent both male and female profiles so he can decide," Adrian replied. "That's why we'll be in his office tomorrow."
"Well, good luck with that," Eden said. "Maybe you two can warm up that iceberg he calls an office."
"I'm leaving," Adrian said, standing. "Eden, you owe me a bottle of wine."
"I owe you nothing. You refuseed to serve yourself," Eden called out.
Adrian rolled his eyes and left.
Friday Morning – Blake Corporation
Ayden was in his office working when Adrian and Xander walked in. As usual, he didn't acknowledge them. They were used to it by now.
They sat without waiting to be invited.
"Ryan already sent the files to your email," Ayden said without looking up.
Adrian and Xander retrieved their laptops—Ryan had fetched them earlier from their offices.
"You two go ahead," Ayden said. "I want to finish signing these documents."
"Yes, boss," Adrian joked as he powered on his laptop.
They began browsing the candidates.
First up were two male nutritionists—Simon and George.
"Solid resumes," Xander said.
Next came Linda.
"Whoa… she's hot," Adrian said, smirking.
"You've never called any lady ugly in your life," Xander said, rolling his eyes.
"Look at her. She's got that 'I'll-fix-your-life-and-maybe-more' look."
"I said select a nutritionist, not a side piece," Ayden said sharply, not even glancing up.
"It's called killing two birds with one stone," Adrian shot back.
"Fool," Xander muttered.
"I heard that."
"Good. It was meant for you."
"Cynthia Blake isn't bad either," Adrian continued.
"Shut up and work," Xander snapped.
"Do we really have to check the last two?" Adrian asked. "I already know who I'd pick."
"You don't get to choose," Ayden said dryly. "I'm just keeping you useful."
Adrian rolled his eyes and clicked on the next file—then froze.
He stared at the screen, eyes widening.
The face.
The name.
Avery Thomas.
That name had lived rent-free in his head for five months. Now she was staring right back at him from a resume.