Leap OF Fate

It's the weekend, and she made sure she spent it with her children. Serene had some business to do in Hyacinth Bay for Ellis Inc. for the coming week so she and the children stayed in her Hyacinth Bay villa.

She brought the property a couple of months before her return. Initially, she wanted it to be a halfway home for Conrad when he traveled to Hyacinth Bay for business. However, since his stroke, she had assumed his responsibilities from their business. In the past year, their business began exploring opportunities outside of Coast City. Thus, she and her children had been living in the villa for the past year.

Like Magnolia Crescent, her villa is on the outskirts of the city, away from all the noise and pollution. The property had two villas. She used one as her studio while the other was where she and the children lived. The two buildings shared a garden and a pool area.

Serene stirred in her sleep and felt her cellphone on the bedside table. The display showed it's 10 in the morning. Of late, sleeping in had become a luxury for her. She tried to move but felt constrained. Pax's foot rested on her stomach while Felicity's arm flayed across her chest. She smiled and continued to lie still, not wanting to wake up her children.

She had just closed her eyes for a couple of minutes when her phone vibrated. Picking it up, she saw Mary's name on the display calling her.

"Morning," she greeted in a hushed voice.

"Hi! They're still asleep?" Mary asked after noticing Serene speaking at a low volume.

"Uh-hum. Why did you call?"

"Well, I told you about my big client who wanted to wear a gown you hand-painted, right?" she asked, then continued without waiting for Serene's response, "I've finished the gown and we're bringing it to your studio." "We?"

"Yeah," Mary's voice sounded bashful. "She's a loyal client and is also your admirer. So, I thought of bringing her with me so she could discuss with you how she'd like the gown to be painted."

"I see. What time are you coming?"

"Um, we're actually on our way now. We'll be there in 15 minutes but don't hurry to get up if the twins are still asleep. We'll wait."

Although Mary said they're willing to wait, her professionalism got the better of her. She eased Felicity's arm from her chest and Pax's foot from her stomach. Then she gently got up from the bed. Since the twins co-sleep with her, she ditched the bed frame and just had the mattress on the floor.

After taking a shower and changing into a clean set of clothes, she had a quick breakfast. Before going to her studio, she left instructions to her helper.

Meanwhile, Mary had already arrived in the studio. She had a spare key, so she's able to enter the area freely. Unlike her gallery, her studio exuded a warm, homey aura. It's also littered with hers and the twins' pictures and portraits.

"Felicity Pax and I were childhood friends. This is her studio as you can see it's less formal than the gallery. Please feel at home. I'll just ready the gown," Mary happily said while she gestured to the soft couch on the side.

"Thank you," Crystal and Elaina said in unison. However, instead of sitting, the two looked around the studio.

Crystal checked the framed paintings on the walls while the shelf with framed photos caught Elaina's attention.

Elaina felt like a bucket of ice-cold water poured down her spine. Her eyes widened as she scanned all the photos frame by frame.

Some photos showed Serene, while others showed her with two children in various stages of development. Some were baby photos, others grown.

With shaking hands, she picked up a frame where the three smiled happily. The more she looked at the twins, the more she saw Justin in them, especially the boy. He's a replica of Justin when he was a child.

She swallowed hard and tried to contain the tears in her eyes from falling. She excused herself from Crystal and said she just needed to call somebody.

Serene entered the studio from the connecting garden. She immediately saw the body form decked in a silk ball gown.

"I'm sorry for making you wait," she greeted, which called the attention of her guests.

Crystal looked surprised. She expected to see the tall and slender woman with slick blonde hair she saw from the exhibit. But before her was a voluptuous woman with unblemished skin. "This is Felicity Pax. The woman in the exhibit is her secretary. She did not want to appear in public, so her secretary always takes her place," Mary explained.

"Hi, Ms. Pax, I'm Crystal Smith," Crystal said, smiling and extending her hand.

Serene shook her hand firmly and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Smith."

Then Mary pointed to the older woman who was standing in front of the shelf displaying Serene and the twin's photos.

Serene's eyes followed her hand, and they almost popped out of their sockets when she recognized the person. She swallowed hard then said, "Prof. V."

Serene's heart kicked harshly in her chest. She did not need to guess. By the way Elaina looked at her, she knew that she already figured out about the twins.

Elaina smiled at her, "Serene. It's been a while. I do not know that you were, Felicity Pax."

The two ladies looked both confused and surprised that Serene and Elaina knew each other. However, before either Serene or Elaina could explain, the studio's front door opened.

"Mary? Shen?" Dylan's voice made Mary and Serene's head snap at the door. They just stared fixedly at Dylan when Justin entered after him.

"Oh fuck," the two said under their breaths. Their eyes exchanged meaningful looks at each other.

Justin stopped in his tracks when he saw Serene. She's in Hyacinth Bay? How come his men did not tell him about it? Since when had she been here? His brows furrow as his questions gave birth to more questions.

His questioning eyes darted to his mother, who looked like she's about to burst out crying.

"Oh, you're here!" Crystal broke the tension in the group. "Ms. Pax let me introduce to you my fiancé, Justin Rain of Rain International. Justin, this is Felicity Pax." Crystal eyes beamed with pride as she looked up and gave a sweet smile at Justin.

The two just stared at each other. Serene processed the bomb that got dropped on her. Fiance? He's getting married? The thought wrung her chest. Her eyes avoided Justin's after she felt her tears gathered on their edges. She cleared her throat and extended her hand, "Justin."

Felicity Pax? She's Felicity Pax? Then who's the woman in the exhibit? His eyes scanned the face he had not seen in the past five years. The cold and distant feeling she gave was foreign to him. "Serene," he said, taking her extended hand. Electric currents ran up through his body the moment their skins touched. It had been so long since he last held her. He wanted to pull her hand and enclose her in a tight embrace, but she let go of his hand immediately. Crystal's brows furrowed at the exchange but immediately shook off whatever uneasy feeling she felt after sensing Serene's distant aura. She hooked her arm on Justin's arm and lovingly looked at him. "Welcome back, Shen," Dylan spoke, breaking the invisible awkwardness Crystal was oblivious to. He pulled her into an embrace. "You owe me, Shen," he said smiling, but his eyes looked at her seriously.

Of course she owed him. She owed him a lot. He suffered a heart break because Mary broke up with him to avoid possibilities of revealing her and the twins' whereabouts. "I know. I'm sorry, Dylan," she said sincerely. Dylan's retort got caught in his throat when a shrill child's voice floated in the air, followed by the sound of running.

"Oh, Fuck," once again, Mary and Serene swore in unison. Serene groaning inwardly. Feeling a throbbing pain in her temples.

"Aunt Mary!" Pax said in a shrill voice, his face wearing a rare smile. He ran and threw himself to Mary, who staggered after receiving the weight of the boy's body.

Pax's arms wound around Mary's neck and showered her face with kisses. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, Darling." Mary responded, kissing the tip of the boy's nose. She did her best to sound unaffected and happy, but deep inside she's scared shitless at the situation her friend faced. She blamed herself for bringing her client to her studio. While Pax and Mary were lost in their world, Elaina, Justin and Dylan watched the exchange with varying expressions. Elaina's eyes became wet as she tenderly looked at the young boy before her. Justin's eyes were likewise tender, but his jaws clenched, and his hands balled into fists on his side. He wanted to run forward to his son and hold him in his arms, but Crystal held him. Dylan looked like his soul left his body when he saw the child. He cast a questioning look at Serene, then a sideways look at his friend. Meanwhile Serene looked deathly pale. She did not expect that the twins were already awake and would go to her studio. She had not prepared for this situation. The burning gaze of Justin's eyes bore into her, but she ignored it.

As Murphy's law said, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Her heartbeats had not yet returned to normal when another pair of tiny footsteps approached them.

"Mommy!" Felicity said, stretching her hand to her mother.

Serene bent down to be at her daughter's eye-level then gave her a kiss. Felicity's inquisitive eyes scanned the unfamiliar faces in her mother's studio. As if finding somebody familiar to her in a sea of strangers, her face lit up. She ran towards Justin and clung to his leg.