Chapter 56: EPILOGUE

After 23 years ....

It felt like déjà vu when Mr. Tyler Blaydes entered Dmitri"s office and only the two of them were alone.
However, the elder man was not here to threaten Dmitri but congratulate him and ask after his granddaughter"s health.
"How is my precious Melody doing, Doctor ? Was the operation successful ? Is her baby healthy ? How is Ethan feeling after operating on his own baby ?" Mr. Tyler Blaydes worriedly asked.
"There is no need to worry, Dad ! Ethan, Melody and their baby are perfectly fine. Melody is sleeping- she was too exhausted and Ethan is looking after the baby. He is already so possessive about his daughter, he won"t even share her with me," Dmitri chuckled and the elder man laughed.
"Isabelle is going to set her son straight like she always does," Tyler Blaydes joked and Dmitri laughed in agreement.
"Dmitri ?" Kenji called out as he knocked and came inside the Head Doctor"s cabin.
"Kenji, my man !" Dmitri exclaimed. "Come in, come in ! Congratulations !! How does it feel to be a proud grandfather ?"
"Same as you, man !" Kenji gave a bro hug to Dmitri before greeting the elder in the room.
"Congratulations to you two !" Mr. Tyler Blaydes said with misted eyes.
"Are you ok, Dad ?" Dmitri worriedly asked when tears started falling from the retired Diamantaire"s eyes.
"Yes, yes ! Just that I feel bad for what I missed at Melody"s birth and turned such a joyous occasion into a heart breaking one. Please forgive me, Dmitri," Tyler Blaydes repented.
"Dad !" Dmitri softly said as he led the elder man to his comfortable chair and helped him sit down before giving him a glass of water. "Bygones are bygones, Dad. You loved your daughter and wanted the best for her. If it were not for your threat, Melody and I would not have relocated and she would not have found her soulmate, Ethan ! Everything happens for a reason, Dad. You have showered us with loads of love in every way that you could since then," Dmitri coaxed.
Tyler Blaydes looked up at Dmitri with a warm smile, just when Audrey opened the door.
"My daughter chose the right man for herself ! I am so proud of both of you !!" Mr. Blaydes said before a teary-eyed Audrey was hugging him.
"Dmitri, do you mind coming with me. We have an issue," Kenji said as the two men gave the father-daughter duo some privacy.
"What is it ? Is everything fine ?" Dmitri worriedly asked as they exited his cabin and went towards Melody"s room.
"Yes, it"s just that my son refuses to let me hold my granddaughter for more than 2 minutes ! Could you please order him to let me carry her as his boss ?" Kenji replied and Dmitri burst out laughing.
Typical Ethan.
He was wildly possessive of Melody and now their daughter. Since childhood, the little boy had been crazy in love about only two things- his medical kit and the little girl who would visit him and his sister after school and "walk the ramp" like her mother after dressing up in Isabelle"s scarves along with Sarah.
"I tried that, man and hence, I got five minutes but after that he ke- .... "
"Five minutes ?! You got three minutes more than me !! That is unfair," Kenji complained as they made a turn.
It reminded Dmitri of the time when at a similar place, Audrey had stepped on Dmitri"s foot and had almost sent him crashing down the stairs.
Dmitri grinned and asked, "Where is Isabelle ? I thought she had cleared all her appointments and given them to Hazel."
"Isabelle is busy shooing away the paparazzi who are hellbent on knowing your supermodel daughter's status," Kenji replied.
"Ah !" Dmitri exclaimed. "That explains it. Ethan is in for a ride when she comes back," he added and the two men slash grandpas guffawed together.
* * * * *
"Oh Leo !" Rachel gushed as she took in the stunning view of the scenery and boat parade just like she had done years ago, at the same place where Leo had first proposed her. "This is breathtakingly beautiful ! I am so glad you bought a retirement home- our very own cottage near the river."
The retired CEO of one of the most successful companies- The Emerson Group, looked at his wife- the woman who taken his empire to record-breaking heights, with the same expression of love as he used to during their younger days and joined her from behind, his hands paving their way across her lean torso.
He rested his chin on her shoulder and replied in his deep, husky voice.
"Of course I bought this place ! It holds so many beautiful memories. We made Alex here after all," Leo teased and then got a well deserved elbow in his guts.
Rachel sulked while Leo chuckled and kissed away the frown.
"You look beautiful when angry but even better when you smile, love," Leo rasped, making Rachel blush even after so many years of marriage.
"Mr. Emerson you have only gotten naughtier since your retirement," Rachel admonished. Leo laughed and hugged her closer as they watched the boat parade together.
"I don"t have anything else to do," Leo childishly pouted. Age had only made him even more handsome, Rachel noted. "I am suddenly, too free for my own good, after leading ultra busy and hectic schedules," he pointed out.
"You should, instead, check on our son and see if he is managing the company well or not. Or rather that he is not troubling poor Sarah again. We can never get a better CFO (Chief Financial Officer) than her and that boy of ours refuses to accept her as a useful addition to the company," Rachel said.
Leo chuckled and replied.
"It is just a case of a boy pulling his crush"s pigtails. He will come around soon. He is a young, level-headed man and our prodigy after all. Don"t worry, dear," Leo coaxed.
"Are Isabelle and Kenji aware ?" Rachel asked.
"Oh yes and if I may quote them, then according to them, Sarah has it bad for Alex but the two seem to act like two repelling magnets around each other ! They are hopeless in matters of love, unlike their exceptional business skills"," Leo revealed. "I don"t know when will Alex get his act together," he added with a sigh.
Sensing the shift in his mood, Rachel teased, "Just like his father !"
"Hey ! You take that back !! I have my act together and am exceptional at matters of business and love," Leo protested.
"Thou protesteth too much, methinks," Rachel teased, challenging her husband"s love.
"Oh really, Miss Shakespeare ! Let me show you the reality then !" Leo said and Rachel suddenly squealed when she found herself above the ground and in Leo"s arms as he rushed them towards their private chambers.
"I was joking, I was joking, Mr. Emerson !" Rachel squealed, more in delight than fright at the exciting anticipation bubbling inside her as she wrapped her arms around her husband"s neck.
"And you can hear me laughing to your heart"s content when I tickle your right spots," Leo teased while Rachel squealed behind closed doors.
* * * * *
"You are working too hard, darling," Calvin said as he re-heated his wife"s dinner and massaged her shoulders. "Why don"t you take a break for a few days and we both can go to the orphanage for a visit and stay at your cabin in the mountains ?" He suggested.
"Mm-mm that would be nice," Hazel hummed as she relaxed under Calvin"s soothing touch.
Even after two and a half decades, the two ambitious individuals had stayed strong through thick and thin, and never let their careers get in the way of family time.
"Let"s eat," Calvin smiled as he put two plates on the table.
"Didn"t you have dinner ? What about Natalie ?" Hazel asked about their daughter, who was a doctor in the same hospital as Marcus.
Marcus was Dmitri and Audrey"s younger son.
"I was waiting for my hardworking wife to join me for an impromptu candlelight dinner," Calvin"s tone was full of adoration and fondness as he dimmed the lights and lighted the candles. "While our dear daughter has gone on a date with Marcus," he informed.
"Oh my, a dinner date ! You have surely surpassed yourself, Chairman Calvin," Hazel appraised as she took in the ambience and exotic dishes laid out in front of her. "And Natalie told you that !" She exclaimed in disbelief.
"Of course not. Those two have a late night charity event to attend which has been sponsored by their hospital. Those two best friends should really stop tip-toing around each other and come clean about their true feelings for each other," Calvin replied.
"I hope my daughter has the courage that I did not have. Hope she does not go after her coward mother," Hazel woefully murmured, thinking about her inability to profess her true feelings to Dmitri before she met Calvin.
Calvin stopped eating and put down his fork and knife before he took Hazel"s hands in his and gently coaxed.
"You are the most courageous and brave woman that I have ever met ! You proposed me out of the blue for god"s sake !! And I am so thankful to god that you did not do the same to Dmitri or I would not have got a perfect partner like you," he lovingly said.
Hazel"s eyes filled with tears before she stole a kiss from him.
"You are the perfect one," she replied. "You are the one who brought the best out of me. Thank you for everything, Calvin- from preventing my fears from coming true to giving me a great family that I never had as an orphan to balancing our ambitions and relationship like you promised years ago," she whispered.
Calvin cradled her face between his palms and gently thumbed away her tears before he cooed, "This was our partnership, my partner. It could not have been successful without you, my dear."
"I love you," Hazel replied.
"And I love you too !"
Similar expressions of love were echoed in the other two couple"s hearts as their love stories came to a happy end.
~ THE END ~
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// Character Sketch:
Melody- Dmitri and Audrey"s daughter
Ethan- Isabelle and Kenji"s son and Sarah"s brother
Alex- Leo and Rachel"s son
Sarah- Isabelle and Kenji"s daughter and Ethan"s sister
Marcus- Dmitri and Audrey"s son and Melody"s brother
Natalie- Calvin and Hazel"s daughter
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// Author"s Note:
Thank you for reading the book till the end.
I hope you all enjoyed it. Do let me know your views in the comments section.
There are three bonus chapters after this. I hope you will enjoy them too !!
You can follow me on Faceb*ok for more updates. The profile name is Author Sonia.
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