Chapter 102 Why Now?
When Hope saw the wealthiest man in the country approaching her, she became nervous. Mr John Taylor smiled broadly and kissed her on both cheeks and said, “Thank you for putting a smile on Aunt Rose’s face.” Then he handed her the luxurious set of wheels, Mercedes-AMG C63S keys.
Hope was stunned; she took the car keys with both hands. She didn’t know what to say. She was overwhelmed with joy. Fortunately, Mr Martins was not far from them. He thanked his best friend for his generous gift.
Pastor Basil walked to her grinning from ear to ear and said, “Be blessed, my child. May the Lord’s face shine upon you.” Then he kissed her on both cheeks and handed her a velvet box.
Sitting in a velvet box was an opulent diamond necklace. Hope flashed him a big smile and thanked him.
Her fellow colleagues were happy for her. They presented her with a big box and asked her to open it in her room. Hope giggled and thanked them.
Avery and her brothers, the Shelton twins, walked to the stage. Avery looked at Aunt Hope and said, “May the Lord bless you, Aunt Hope. Also, may He give you the desires of your heart. We give God all the glory.”
Ethan started playing the violin, Logan had a guitar and their big sister started to play the piano. They were singing ‘In the Shadow’ by beautiful Ntokozo Mbambo. They sang so beautifully that the guests couldn’t contain themselves. They sang with them.
Shortly after, Chef Ambrose and the waiters brought the food. The atmosphere was lively and harmonious. The food was full of flavour and delicious. They were chatting and laughing.
Avery was sitting between Mrs Taylor and Aunt Bridgette. Mrs Taylor smiled brightly at her and said, “You are so beautiful, Avery. Last time I saw you, you were six months old.” She omitted that she saw her at the funeral service.
Avery smiled back at her and replied, “Thank you, Auntie. I am not surprised that you didn’t see me at young Mr Taylor and Miss Moore’s wedding.
Because I left shortly after they exchanged their wedding vows. Your daughter-in-law is very beautiful, Auntie.”
Aunt Caroline smiled brightly when she heard Avery praising her beloved daughter-in-law’s beauty. She looked at Avery with an aggrieved expression and asked, “Why are you only praising my daughter-in-law, what about my son?”
Avery blushed when she heard Aunt Caroline’s question and replied, “Auntie, I don’t know how to describe your son’s handsomeness. I haven’t seen anyone so outstanding in my life.” Xavier Taylor was just yummy.
Avery had seen handsome men, but no one had made her heart beat uncontrollably against her chest except Xavier Taylor. Her boyfriend, Jordan Bennet, was very handsome but he hadn’t made her heart beat fast yet.
Aunt Caroline’s heart swelled with pride and replied, “Xavier took after my father-in-law’s handsomeness. The Lord has blessed him with intelligence and beauty.” Avery nodded her head; the Lord had spent time when He created Xavier Taylor.
Aunt Bridgette was listening to their conversation, smiling faintly. She was reminded of the time when Avery told her that when she saw Xavier Taylor her heart started beating fast.
She thought she was having a heart attack. Unbeknownst to her, she fell in love with Xavier Taylor at first sight.
Everyone was happy for Hope except Aiden. He felt that Hope was an opportunist. Why now? After dinner, Hope thanked everyone for the beautiful gifts. Half an hour later, they went to their villas to rest.
In Richards Bay, Mrs Martins was fuming with rage. How could her husband give Hope the company shares without consulting her? She felt suffocated, she couldn’t breathe. She tried to call her husband, but it went straight to voicemail.
Lily looked at her and asked, “What is wrong, Auntie?” Aunt Elizabeth looked irritated and replied, “Aunt Rose had a welcoming banquet for Hope, and then my husband gave her 10% of the Martins Group shares.
He didn’t even discuss the matter with me. It is clear to me that Aunt Rose is more important to him than his legally wedded wife. They are not even blood related.
I have been calling him several times to no avail. I have a feeling that he is ignoring me.”
Lily was overwhelmed with bitterness, she hated Hope with passion. Why was Hope so lucky? She looked at her aunt and replied, “Don’t be angry, Auntie. Maybe Uncle August left his phone in the room, or he is charging it.”
At that moment, Aunt Elizabeth’s phone started ringing. She looked at the caller ID, then her face darkened. She looked at the phone until it stopped ringing. Lily looked at her aunt puzzled and asked, “What is wrong, Auntie? Who called you just now?”
Aunt Elizabeth looked down at her phone coldly and replied, “It was your uncle. I decided not to talk to him because I was very angry. I am scared I will say something I will later regret.” Then she switched off the phone.
At that moment, Lily’s phone started ringing. She looked at the caller ID and said, “It’s Uncle August, Auntie. Should I answer it?” Her aunt shook her head, then she switched off Lily’s phone.
Then the house telephone started ringing. Aunt Elizabeth asked Lily to ignore it. Then she put the home telephone on mute.
Mr Martins called Aiden and asked, “Have you talked to your mother today?” Aiden indicated that he had sent a text message to his mother during the banquet. His father asked, “Was it about Hope’s welcoming banquet?”Content is © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
Aiden hesitated but he decided to tell the truth and replied, “I told Mom that Hope owns 10% of Martins Group shares, Daddy.” His father had taught them to tell the truth no matter what.
His father was not angry and replied, “Since Tuesday I have been trying to get hold of your mother to no avail. I even sent her a text message regarding this matter, but I didn’t get any response from her.
During the banquet, I didn’t bring my phone with me because my phone ran out of battery. Therefore, I left my phone on the charger. When I got back, I saw several missed calls from her.
A few minutes ago, I tried to call her back, but she is not picking up my calls. It’s been a long day, please rest early. Sweet dreams.” Aiden bade his father goodnight, then they hung up.