Chapter 107: Chapter 107

"So, how did you two meet?" Alicia asked, her eyes sparkling with interest.

Andrea, who was casually sipping on her wine, coughed unexpectedly. How could she tell Alicia that she and Sean had met at a club and had a one-night stand, which was the evident result of the twins?

Sean took Andrea's glass from her hand and set it back on the table while his other hand gently patted her back.

"Are you okay?" Alicia asked with a slight frown.

"Yes! Yes! I'm fine," Andrea replied with a smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Sean knew the reason for Andrea's sudden coughing fit and also remembered their first sober encounter, which didn't sit well with him. He grabbed Andrea's hand under the table and gave it a tight squeeze.

Who would have thought that the same woman he had once pictured as a thief and even went as far as dimming her from her job would end up being the woman he started a family with and, most importantly, the most valuable person in his life?

"Are you here for an interview or to eat free food?" Sonny quickly interrupted, noticing Andrea's discomfort with the topic and Alicia's expectant look.

"Actually," Sean replied simply, "she used to work at my company back in Australia, and that's how we met."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Alicia exclaimed as the waiter finally brought their order and set it on the table.

Curious, Andrea asked, "So, how did you and Sonny get back together?"

Alicia and Sonny exchanged glances, a hint of embarrassment visible on their faces. "Should I tell her or..." Alicia whispered softly.

Andrea quickly added, "It's fine if you don't want to talk about it." She could also relate to them; it was just the same way she didn't want to talk about her first encounter with Sean.

Sonny took a deep breath and said, "Of course not; that's not the case. So, I was at the club as usual, and I ran into Alicia there, so we sat down, drinking and talking, when suddenly our lips collided and..."

"Shut the fuck up!" Alicia's cheeks turned bright shade of pink. "Why are you going into detail?" She gives him a dirty look and turns to Andrea, saying, "I'll tell the story instead."

"So, we met the following night, I came back from Paris after shooting for a brand. I went to a club to chill, and we ran into each other, and after we got tipsy, we agreed to hook up for the night. The next morning, Sonny proposed to me."

"And you said yes to him immediately?" Andrea's eyes widen in shock as she looks at them both.

Once again, Alicia's face was marred with embarrassment. She touches her bangs stiffly and forces out a smile. "Yes," she responds shamefully.

"Babe, are you feeling embarrassed by me?" Sonny scoffs loudly as he spreads out his hands.

"Who wouldn't be ashamed?" That was the thought racing through Andrea's mind as she listened to Alicia's story.

"It's not like that; I mean, you just proposed to me all of a sudden, which is indeed strange," Alicia said in a soft tone, trying to appease the annoyed Sonny.

Sensing the atmosphere was getting tense, Andrea knew she had to do something before things got worse. "Alicia, you have mascara on your cheek." She lied, and as she had thought, Alicia panicked.

"Come, let's go fix it." Andrea rose to her feet and followed Alicia to the restroom.

Meanwhile, Sean rolled his eyes; he knew there must be a motive behind Sonny's abrupt proposal. "Tell me, what are you up to?"

"It's my mom again; she's been nagging at me to bring someone home ever since she heard that you have a family now. She was even the one who got the ring, and so I decided to propose to Alicia after all we dated in the past," Sonny explained.

Sean let out a heavy sigh. "Most times, you're truly unbelievable. Do you even love her?"

Sonny smirked. "I think so. I mean, she's hot and sexy; what guy wouldn't want to be with her?"

Frustrated, Sean exclaimed, "Just forget it!"

....

"Ruby, Pearl, do you remember me, your Aunt Jasmine?" Jasmine kneeled down in front of them as she held their chubby hands.

"No!" Ruby exclaimed innocently.

"Ouch!" Jasmine pretended to be hurt as she clutched her chest. "What about you, Ruby? Do you remember me?" She cradled her cheeks and smiled broadly at her.

Ruby pouted adorably and hurried into her mother's embrace. Andrea scooped her into her arms and said, "Baby, what's wrong? That's your aunt, Jasmine."

"It seems Ruby and Pearl aren't fond of me. I guess I will take these toys back home." Jasmine brought out two Barbie dolls from her handbag, which immediately caught Ruby's attention.

"You want it?" Jasmine chuckled mischievously as she extended the doll toward Ruby. As she had anticipated, Ruby came down from her mother's embrace and slowly toddled towards her.

She pulled Ruby into her arms and gave her a warm hug. "Don't ever ignore me again, little Ruby." She planted a kiss on her cheek and handed over the doll to her.

"How time flies. Pearl and Ruby seem so big now that everything feels like yesterday," Tessa remarked in wonder.

"You're right. Mrs. Jones is planning a birthday party for the kids," Andrea said, gazing at her children with love and affection.

Tessa replied, "That's great, and I'm glad you're fitting in with the Jones family; if only Christina hadn't taken you from the hospital, you would have been with them all these years." Tears suddenly welled up in Tessa's eyes.

"If Christina hadn't taken me, I wouldn't have met you and Jasmine. You guys are one of the most important people in my life. We might not be blood related, but my love for you two is genuine."

Andrea noticed Jasmine had fallen into a daze while playing with Ruby and Pearl, she lightly tapped her on the shoulder. "Jasm, are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine. It has just been too stressful lately at the hospital." Jasmine faked a smile. "Happy birthday to you in advance. I'm sure Mr. Wilson is planning something romantic," she added, waggling her brows at her suggestively.

Jasmine hoped that this conversation would help prevent unwanted attention from herself. Her thoughts had been consumed by Jace recently. She followed Amber's advice and decided to reach out to him, but he didn't respond to her text messages or answer her calls. At this point, Jasmine came to the conclusion that all he ever wanted from her was to be with her sexually again.

Andrea blushed shyly. "Thank you, Jasm, but I don't think Sean even remembered that it's my birthday tomorrow."

Before Jasmine could reply, a gentle knock was heard at the door. Andrea's brows drew together. "Who is it?" She thought inwardly.

"I will go check," Jasmine offered as she stood up from the couch. She hurriedly made her way to the door, and upon opening it, she paused, taken aback by the person standing on the doorstep.

Jace raised his eyebrows in surprise as they briefly locked eyes. "Finally, you’re back!" Andrea exclaimed from behind Jasmine, who had just recovered from shock. She moved aside, giving him space to enter.

"Yes," Jace replied. "I'm glad you're back. I missed you," she said, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "You must be very tired. Let me help you with this," Andrea said, summoning Agnes to carry Jace's luggage to the guestroom.

"Mom Tessa, Jasmine, this is Jace, my adorable younger brother that I always talk about," she grinned, gently ruffling his hair.

"Jace, this is my aunt and Jasmine," Andrea formally introduced.

Jace and Jasmine briefly exchanged glances before looking away from each other.

"It's nice meeting you all. I apologize for my exhaustion, but I would like to retire upstairs."

"Of course." Mom Tessa responded enthusiastically.

Jasmine felt overwhelmed by this sudden disclosure, so she proposed taking the kids for a stroll in the garden to get some fresh air.

After looking around the huge garden, she seated them on the wooden bench surrounded by stunning blooms. Jasmine tied the string of their pink matching headwear, which they were both attempting to remove, preventing them from doing so. "You two are naughty! Your mommy says to keep you warm. Don't take it off, okay?" She said it in a soothing tone.

Sighing deeply, Jasmine leaned back against the wooden bench and gazed up at the sky with a faint smile. "Sometimes I wish I could be just like you, Pearl and Ruby," she mused. "I'm sure you don't understand what I mean now, but when you're older, you'll understand how the adult world works."

Jasmine's peaceful moment was interrupted by Jace's sudden appearance behind her. "Just the girl I have been looking for," he said, causing Jasmine to jump up in surprise. "Geez! Don't do that ever again. What if I accidentally knock down the twins?" Jasmine scolded, folding her arms over her chest. Her voice was tinged with irritation.

Jace lifted his hand into the air and said, "Hey, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you." Jasmine watched as he turned around to leave, muttering, "I just thought you'd be happy to see me, but I guess I'm not welcome here."

Jasmine bit her lip until it turned pale. She had been eagerly anticipating his arrival and longed to hear his voice, yet she was acting indifferent. She shut her eyes tightly. "Don't go!" she whispered. His smirk returned as he strolled back over to her and stood directly in front of her, his hand tucked into his pocket. "Why? I thought you didn't like me."

Jace gazed intently into Jasmine's brown eyes as he closed the gap between them. Jasmine impulsively grabbed the back of his head and pressed her lips firmly against his, relishing the sensation she had imagined would be divine.

Jace wrapped his arms tightly around her waist as their lips moved in unison. He skillfully slid his tongue into her mouth, exploring every crevice with passion. They eventually pulled back, both struggling to catch their breaths.

Jasmine whispered shyly, "Jace, I... I love you too." After their intense kiss, she found it difficult to maintain eye contact with him.

Jace's heart swelled with happiness as he heard those words. "I've been waiting to hear that from you, Jasmine. You have no idea how thrilled I am right now. Thank you so much," he said, kissing her gently on the lips and grinning charmingly, causing Jasmine's heart to race.

"Jasmine suddenly burst into tears. 'Just like that, you stopped calling, sending me flowers, or even coming to the hospital to see me like you always did. I felt extremely hurt, but now I understand the reason.'"

"Shhh. Don't cry, princess," he said, wiping the teardrops from her face with his thumb. "What matters now is that I'm right here with you, isn't it?" Jace pulled her into his warm embrace.

"I'm really sorry. I was just trying to figure everything out after my dad passed away," Jace whispered softly as he caressed her back.

"I feel your pain," Jasmine said empathetically. "I still remember the year I lost my dad. I was five years old at the time, and Andrea was six. He got into an accident on his way to work, and I never thought it would be the last time I got to see him."

"Wait, how old are you again?" Jace asked as they disengaged from the hug. "I'm currently 23; I will be 24 in a few months. Is there something wrong?''

Jace shook his head. "It's nothing"

"Oh my God!" Jasmine suddenly exclaimed as she stared at Jace with her eyes wide. "I'm older than you, aren't I?" She arched her brows as she demanded an answer from him.

"Yes, I'm only 21," Jace replied. "But age is just a number, right? It wouldn't actually be a barrier to our relationship, would it?"

Upon hearing him, Jasmine's face fell. She couldn't believe she was three years older than the guy standing in front of her.