Noah's brows furrowed deeply in a tight line as he watches Alicia's face, “What did you just say?” he asked in an extremely low voice.
Alicia drew in a deep breath to calm herself down and then began again in a calm voice now, “I work in a grocery store very close to your company, sir, where Mrs. Antonio often come to buy stuff,”
“From there, our interaction deepened and one day, she asked if I could tutor for cooking, and not only that, she further made me understand that I wouldn't be tutoring just anybody but Noah Cooper,”
“I couldn't be less happy, especially when she offered a huge amount of money for the job,”
Everyone listened to Alicia attentively, and even the cop who was holding her earlier had let go of her.
“She gave me a little jar on the day I was going to resume and instructed me to twinkle it to Mr. Cooper's girlfriend's meal whenever she comes around,”
“I became scared and asked what was it for and what has she done to deserve it. Mrs. Antonio then told me that Mr. Cooper's girlfriend does not worth to be seen around him and was only after his fortune,”
“I wasn't convinced with her response and told her I can't carry out the job, but then she told me she would double my payment if the initial one was not enough,”
Tears had begun to streak down her cheeks by now as she lowered her head in shame, “I agreed to do it. However, just after spending a few minutes with Mr. Cooper on my first resumption day, I realized he was an outstanding man and didn't deserve to lose someone so close to his heart,”
“I went back to Mrs. Antonio and gave back the portion to her, insisting that I couldn't do it,”
Jasmine covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming out as more tears spilled hysterically out of her eyes.
“I'm so sorry, Mr. Cooper, for hiding this for so long, forgive me, sir,” Alicia pleaded as she planted her eyes on her feet.
Noah felt like collapsing with shock as he slowly discarded his gaze from Alicia and then to where Mrs. Antonio was standing.
“What have I done to deserve this from you, Flora?” he seldom called her by her name and asked in a slow voice.
But Mrs. Antonio only remained stationary as she stared down at her handcuffed hands.
“That's not all, Mr. Cooper,” Danica spoke up in a harsh voice, moving some footsteps forward.
The officers and Noah were the only ones who turned to look at Danica with attention.
“My mother was also the one who had spilled some kind of truth-inducing drug into your girlfriend's drink to make her say the truth at the party you all attended together,” Danica confessed, and Noah slumped to his seat immediately.
Jasmine continued to stare at Danica's lips in a daze even after she had finished talking, and suddenly, she passed out.
Two weeks later.
“Just six years imprisonment? Why not life imprisonment? Gosh!” Paisley bemoaned with an eye roll over the phone as she conversed with Jasmine.
Jasmine chuckled and slow down her pace and watched Noah, Aurora, Alicia, and Danica walking ahead to the car.
However, immediately they all noticed Jasmine wasn't walking with them, they stopped walking and turned around to face her.
“Go ahead, guys. I'll meet you in the car,” she said to them.
They were just walking out of the courtroom, where Mrs. Antonio's sentence had been made for her crimes.
“Remember, she didn't murder anybody, Paisley?” Jasmine reminded her with a smile on her face.
“But she almost executes you, Jasmine. What if she had succeeded? What if Alicia wasn't a good person, then what would have become of me? I would have lost you to death?” her words choked between sobs, and Jasmine's smile grew wider.
“You'll never lose me, Paisley, and neither will I. You and I will grow old and toothless together to see our great-grandchildren. So, don't worry,”
Her cogent words seemed to calm Paisley down as she inhaled and exhaled softly into the phone.
“Guess what, Jasmine?”
Jasmine beamed, “Ryder has proposed to you?”
Paisley giggled, “Not yet. But I really can't wait anymore,”
Jasmine felt her cheek flushing with her friend's words, “You really love, Ryder, don't you?”
“Yes, babe. Even though I never thought I could find love in him,”
Jasmine nodded her head slowly and began to amble towards the car.
“I'm so happy for us, Paisley. So tell me, what's the guess?”
“Thomas and Layla are back together again,” Paisley answered her with a chuckle in her voice.
Jasmine frowned and asked, “Who's Layla?”
“The same lady Thomas told us about. The one who Xavier cheated on with you,”
Jasmine immediately covered her mouth while her eyes bulging outwards.
“I thought she was going to have something serious with Xavier,” she let out her guess.
“Yes, yes. Turned out that she still loves my brother. Also, I learned that Xavier really wants her back now, but she already put him in his place,”
Jasmine kept on shaking her head sideways as she opened the passenger door and hop in the car.
“I feel so sorry for, Xavier,” She mumbled.
“Yeah, now he has lost both you and Layla. I bet he'll never think of cheating in his next life” Paisley said nonchalantly.
Jasmine chuckled out, “Okay, babe, we'll talk later,”
The following day,
Danica and Alicia sat down on the visitor's seat, across Noah, looking elegant in their conservative dresses and their heads lowered.
However, they both could feel Noah's intense gaze on their faces. His hand holding his jaw as if he were in deep thoughts.
“You are taking over your mother's position, Danica,” he spoke after a long moment of silence.
Danica abruptly lifted her head to look at him with astonished eyes.
Noah smiled warmly at her, “Yes, dear. And I've also forgiven you completely,”
Hot tears gathered in Danica's eyes and spilled out wildly.
When Noah had called and told her to come to his office, she never thought that Noah was going to give her a job.
“You're such a generous man, sir. Thank you so much for not taking out what my mother had done on me,” her voice throbbed with emotions, her crying intensifying.
Noah reached over to his desk, “Why would I take it out on you when you've done something worth praise for? You turned your back against your mom and revealed the truth. I must say that you're the generous lady, Danica, and thank you once again for the help,” he said with a deep sense of gratitude, but more tears only kept rushing out of Danica's eyes.
Sighing and smiling, Noah gradually looked over at Alicia and asked friendly,
“Would you like to work in the finance department, my very own chef, Alicia?”
And it was Alicia's turn to sob. It seemed none of them had expected such a huge favor from Noah.
“Believe me, you both have done so much, and you deserve every bit of this”
Just as Noah completed his honor words, a soft knock came by on the door.
“Come in,” he instructed.
The door swung open afterward, disclosing the frightened-looking receptionist.
“Mr. Walker is here, sir,” she notified, and Noah instantly sprang to his feet, blinking his eyes rapidly.
Right then, the door opened widely and Mr. Walker paced into the office with two guards behind him.
“Hello, Mr. Cooper. It's been a while,” he enunciated, with a gentle smile staying on his lips.
Promptly, Noah scampered out of his seat and moved closer to him.
“What a surprise visit, Mr. Chairman. Please come sit down,” he proffered, heading to the designated spot in the enormous office.
“No, Mr. Cooper. I'm not staying long, I'm only here to give back what has always been yours. Congratulations,” Mr. Walker announced, and Noah felt like stumbling on his feet as his bottom lip quivered terribly.
He was lost for words for a moment, “But I'm not married yet, sir,” he said in a voice barely more than a whisper.
The chairman's smile grew as he reached out and patted his shoulder, “Make sure you send your wedding invitation card,”
After saying his simple words, he turned around and disappeared out of the door.
“Congratulations, sir,” the receptionist said with a smile on her palm-sized face.
Noah was still unable to take in the sudden great news, and he only continued to stare at the chairman's back that had left.
“Are you sure I'm not dreaming right now?” he asked without removing his gaze from the door.
“No, Mr. Cooper, you are not dreaming,” the receptionist told him.
“Then pinch me,” he instructed.
The smile playing around the receptionist stopped immediately as she looked at his face in shock.
“Sir?”
“I said pinch me!” Noah yelled, startling the poor receptionist.
Meanwhile, Danica and Alicia had gotten to their feet and keenly watching the drama from where they were standing.
The receptionist reluctantly raised her hand and pinched his arm.
He then screamed out in delight, “I'm not dreaming right now,”
The three girls in the room with him couldn't help but laugh at him.
He's an interesting man.
***
Danica and a man sat down in the waiting compartment, looking quite nervous.
The man saw the uneasy expression on Danica's face and slowly held her hand and raised her chin to meet his amber eyes.
“You don't have to be scared, babe. I'm here for you,” he said reassuringly, and Danica's lips slowly turned up in a cozy smile as she nodded her head twice.
“You have just ten minutes,” the voice of the warder pulled them back to presence.
Danica looked up to where her mother was standing and felt her heart ache terribly as she jumped to her feet.
She was wearing an orange color polo shirt like the other prisoners. Her hair was tied in a simple bun and her face had become so pale, so pale that it seemed like she has not been eating anything for the past three months.
“Mom,” she called in a crying tone and reached out to hug her tightly.
“I'm so sorry, mom… please forgive me,” she cried in her chest, holding her that and wouldn't let her go.
Mrs. Antonio's tears couldn't be controlled either, and she let them pour heavily, spilling over Danica's shoulder.
Shortly, Mrs. Antonio disengaged from the hug first and raised her two hands to clean her daughter's face.
“Why are you saying sorry when I'm the real culprit?” she asked in a soft voice, bringing more tears to Danica's eyes.
“I'm reaping the fruit of my deeds, why should you be sorry for it?”
“In fact, I should be the one saying sorry to you, to Mr. Cooper, Jasmine, and their daughter,”
“I hope they would eventually forgive me one day,” her last words broke out with tears in her voice.
Danica held her hands and smiled between tears, “Of course, they would forgive you, mom. Would you believe that I've become Mr. Cooper's assistant?”
Mrs. Antonio's eyes broadened in surprise.
“Yes, mom. He really has a big heart,”
Mrs. Antonio could only nod in agreement as she slowly took her gaze toward the man who had been standing behind Jasmine all the time.
“Who is he?” she asked Danica.
Danica smiled and drew him forward, “This is Jason, my boyfriend,” she introduced.
“Hi, Auntie,” Jason greeted politely with a little bow.
Mrs. Antonio didn't answer his greeting, but moved more closer to him instead and gently held his hand,
“Please take good care of my daughter,”