Thud! The phone fell out of Julian's hand as his eyes drilled into Susan's.“What did you do that for?!” she snapped as she bent to pick her phone.For a moment, he thought he saw embarrassment on her face. But when she straightened, anger was clear on her face as she tapped the phone screen.Sudden silence followed the obscene sounds of slapping skins.“How dare you let my phone fall when you can't even afford to buy it even if you work ten years at that miserable teaching job?!” She glared at him.Really? Julian couldn't believe that was the first thing she could think of despite what she had done.She looked more sober now, but not remorseful. She was rather angry. At him!“You just cheated on me in front of the entire world, and your priority is your phone?” he asked calmly.When his hand wanted to curl into a fist and slam against something, he instead tucked them into the pockets of his frayed jeans.“How is that any of your concern? I told you to stay out of my business!”She

By the time Isaac mentioned two more several-million-dollar drinks, and the family's embarrassment was increasing, he finally asked for a glass of water. Madea rushed off to get it, glaring at Julian as if he were the root of all their problems.“I apologise about that, Mr Anderson. Now that we know what you like to drink, we will make sure we have it when next you visit,” Carlos said brightly.“Oh, it is fine,” Anderson said with a benevolent smile. “The ones I mentioned are the least expensive of my kind of drinks, actually. I just thought every home would at least have that.”Carlos cleared his throat at the subtle insult. Julian almost laughed at the irony of it all. The man who had never spared him a kind word, despite his dedication all these years, was bending backwards for another man and even taking insults without a word?Money sure does make a lot of difference. If only these fools knew.Susan looked uncomfortable as she changed the topic. “Isaac, about the scandal…”“Yes

Cecile burst into laughter beside her. Susan looked at her friend's face in question before Cecile tried to stop her laugh. “I am sorry. It’s just…” she turned to Julian with a mocking look. “I have always known you are such a big baby, and an attention-seeker. But this? I will admit I didn’t expect you to sink this low.”“What is she talking about?” Julian wondered, his gaze intent on her. Slightly surprised by his cold look, Cecile continued anyway, “Just because Susan is finally getting the kind of man you will never be, you are throwing tantrums? What, you bought a fake stamp to make it look real just to get her attention. What a loser!”Susan frowned as she looked at the court stamp already on the document close to where Julian had already signed. Of course, it was fake. She had never heard of any divorce agreement getting stamped before signing. She couldn’t believe Julian would be so shameless that he would even commit the crime of impersonating a judge.Earlier, she had e

Julian sat straight as the limo that picked them up at the helipad wound its way through the artistically designed driveway that led to the house. While the Gibsons' mansion was part of an estate, the Cross's home sat regally on a seven-acre estate, with every sort of amenity like a golf course, orchards and a greenhouse. The flower-edged drive soon opened up to a magnificent sprawl of a mansion that was more than five times the size of the Gibsons’ home.A bittersweet feeling swept through Julian as he remembered the time he had finally come here to live. After his parents' death. Just like back then, his grandpa was standing outside on the vast porch. Julian got out as soon as the limo opened. The old man leaning on a golden cane looked formidable despite his advanced age and white tuft of hair. His checkered shirt, cargo trousers and chunky silver wristwatch only added to his commanding presence. Eyes that mirrored Julian's fixed on him as if he could not believe his eyes.

“God, save me from idiots,” Zoraya Jenkins muttered as she imagined frogs coming out of the man across from her. The Mavins family heir stopped mid-sentence and asked, “Sorry, I didn’t catch that.” Wasn’t meant for you to catch. Zoraya scoffed inwardly. To him, she responded, “Oh, it’s nothing. I was just wondering if you are always so… enthusiastic about yourself.” Gel-slicked hair, buttoned up with a striped tie, the man narrowed his eyes as he said, “Are you saying I am talking too much, Miss Jenkins?” Zoraya gritted her teeth in a semblance of a smile. “Not really. I just think the point of this… date is to get to know each other. It looks more like I am here to listen to how I should thank my stars for being here with you right now.” She didn’t bother to inject any warmth into her fake smile this time as she picked up her glass of water. A waste of time is one thing Zoraya Jenkins hated the most, and this evening had turned out to be just that. “Thanks, Mum,” she thought