Dawn stirred in bed and her eyes opened slowly as light slipped into the room through the curtains, announcing that morning had come.

For a second, she didn’t move. She just lay there, thinking about all the craziness of the previous day.

She smiled, feeling so grateful that Genevieve was alive and she’d not lost her. Then her smile widened when she remembered the stunt Tom had pulled.

Thomasina indeed, she thought, giggling silently. She wondered if Jamal had ever seen that side of him. She also wondered what Jamal would look like if he decided to give it a shot.

Perhaps she could convince him to let her try a little makeup on him.

She reached for her phone and smiled when she saw she had a text from Jamal.

She opened it quickly.

Jamal>: Just going to bed now. I’ll be back tomorrow since I’m no longer needed here. Can’t wait to see you. I hope you love me crazily and hopelessly.

Dawn sat up at once.

A wide smile spread across her face as she quickly typed back.

Dawn>: I love you madly and completely. Can’t wait to see you. Let me know when you leave so we can pick you up.

She got out of bed quickly. Her steps were light and her heart felt just as light.

She freshened up fast and went back to wake Josh so they could join Tom and Lucy for breakfast.

When they got to the dining room, Tom and Lucy were already seated and a maid was serving tea.

Lucy looked up when they walked in.

"Good morning," Dawn greeted Lucy with a smile, then grinned when she glanced at Tom, unable to get rid of the image from last night.

"Good morning," Lucy replied with a sweet smile as she held out a hand to Josh and he went to her.

She kissed his cheeks before pushing her seat back to make room for him, then she set him on her thighs.

"Good morning," Tom said, winking at Dawn since he could guess why she was grinning.

"I hope you both slept well?" Lucy asked as she fed Josh from her omelet.

Dawn sat down. "We did. Right, Josh?"

Josh bobbed his head since his mouth was already filled with a forkful of omelet.

Tom cleared his throat. "Jamal will be coming back today," he said before taking a bite from his scone.

Dawn smiled as she nodded. "He told me," she said, looking at Josh, who she’d been hoping to surprise with the news.

Josh’s eyes lit up.

"My daddy is coming back?" he asked.

Dawn laughed softly. "Yes, baby."

Josh clapped his hands. "Yay!"

He bounced on Lucy’s thighs. "I want to see him!"

"You will," Lucy said, smiling.

Dawn looked at Tom again. "What about Genny and Stefan? Are they coming too?" she asked.

Tom shook his head. "Not yet. Her papers are not ready," he said.

Dawn nodded slowly. "Okay."

Lucy turned to her. "By the way," she said, "you need to get ready to attend our GEL club meeting with me this weekend."

Dawn blinked, wondering why the name sounded familiar. "GEL club? What’s that?" she asked.

Lucy smiled. "It’s a special friendship group. Only selected ladies," she explained. "We do charity work together. And we also help each other grow in our various fields."

Dawn listened. "That sounds nice," she said. "I think I’ve heard Emily and Mari mention it."

"Yeah. They’re members since both their mothers are members," Lucy explained.

"And Josh will grow to be a part of the gentlemen’s club like his father," Tom said with a grin.

Dawn smiled at the thought of Josh growing into a gentleman like Jamal. Then she asked, "Can Genevieve be part of it too?"

Lucy smiled wider. "Of course," she said. "I told you she’s welcome to be part of us as long as you’re okay with it. We are all familiar with her," she said, reminding Dawn that they’d been keeping their eyes on Genevieve all these years, thinking she was the one.

Dawn smiled but said nothing as she focused on her meal.

They ate in silence for a while until Dawn’s phone rang.

She picked it up and her brows lifted when she saw Candace’s name displayed on the screen.

"Oh," she said softly.

Lucy looked at her. "Who is it?"

Dawn smiled a little. "It’s Jamal’s mum."

She stood up and stepped aside to take the call.

"Hello, ma’am," she said politely.

Candace’s voice came through. "Hello, Dawn. How are you doing?"

"I’m fine, ma’am. How are you doing?" She asked in return.

"I’m fine. I’m sorry I didn’t call after you left the previous night. I’m so sorry about the embarrassing manner..."

"You don’t have to apologise to me. I totally understand," Dawn rushed to assure her.

"Mila mentioned that you were mad at Jamal," she said, and Dawn winced.

"That has nothing to do with what happened. You don’t have to worry about it. Besides, we’ve made up now," she assured her.

"That’s a relief to know. Do you have time to have lunch with me today?"

Dawn paused and glanced at Tom.

"It depends on the time and place," she said. "I have therapy later. And I want to pick Jamal from the airport."

Candace asked, "Where is your therapist’s office? How far is it from I-Global?"

"Give me a moment to find out from Tom," Dawn said and went to meet Tom.

Dawn told him what Candace was asking.

"Tell her you can meet her at the office," he said quietly. "That way you can see the company too. And then we can leave for therapy from here."

Dawn nodded then communicated it to Candace.

"Perfect! That’s a good idea," Candace said. "See you at the office then. Do not forget to bring my grandson along," she said, then laughed softly, "I still feel weird saying that. Can’t believe I’m a grandmother. Oh well. See you later."

Dawn smiled as the call ended and returned to the table.

Josh looked up. "Can I come?" he asked quickly, like he’d been waiting to ask her that.

Dawn laughed. "Of course. I’m not leaving you at home alone," she said.

Josh laughed and clapped happily. "I’m going!" he said.

"We have a PlayStation for staff kids at the office. I’m sure Josh would enjoy himself," Tom said.

"Really? That’s so thoughtful," Dawn said.

Tom smiled. "I did it for myself. I used to love taking the Bees to the office a lot when they were kids."

"It’s fun getting to see and know the kids of our staff too," Lucy added.

"Yes, it is."

After breakfast, Dawn went upstairs to get ready so she could leave for the office with Tom.

As she stood in front of the mirror, her phone rang again.

She smiled when she saw the name.

Mari.

She picked up quickly. "Hi!" Dawn said.

Mari sounded excited. "I just heard from Emily! Genevieve is alive!"

Dawn smiled. "Yes. It’s a miracle."

Mari sighed in relief. "The moment she told me, I thought about you and I was so relieved. I’m happy she’s okay."

"Me too," Dawn said softly. Then she added, "Thank you for yesterday."

Mari dismissed. "That’s nothing. I’m glad I could be there." She paused. "Maybe we can hang out more?"

Dawn smiled. "I’d love that."

The doorbell rang on Mari’s side. "Oh—someone’s at the door," Mari said. "I’ll text you later."

"Okay," Dawn said.

Mari ended the call and walked to the door.

She checked the monitor screen beside the door, and her brows pulled together when she saw Chad and Venita standing there.

She opened the door, staring at them with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi!" Chad said, smiling awkwardly. He had his arm in a sling.

"Hi. We came to see your dad," Venita said quietly.

Mari frowned. "My Dad? Is he expecting you?"

Venita shook her head. "No. We want to apologise to him."

"Does Jax know you’re here?" Mari asked, since he hadn’t given her a heads up.

Although they’d both been too busy to talk much since he was working on a commissioned painting and she’d been busy with her own job.

They both shook their heads.

"No."

Mari hesitated, then she stepped aside.

"Come in."

They walked in slowly, and she shut the door behind them.

Mari looked at Chad. "How are you?" she asked gently. "Your shoulder?"

He nodded. "Getting better." He looked around. "Is your dad home?"

"He’s in his study," Mari said. "Sit down. I’ll call him."

Mari walked away.

As she approached the study, the door opened. "Why are they here?" He asked since he’d seen them from the monitor in his office.

Mari shrugged. "To apologise. Please, hear them out."

He stared at her for a moment, then walked into the living room.

"Why are you in my house?" he asked coldly.

Venita dropped to her knees immediately.

"I’m sorry," she said, her voice shaking. "I made a mistake. I regret it."

Chad bowed his head. "I’m sorry too."

Alex looked at them. His eyes were cold. "Would you be here saying this if my daughter got hurt?" he asked.

They didn’t say a word. They looked shamefaced.

Mari stepped forward and touched her father’s arm gently.

He looked at her.

Her eyes pleaded. "I’m fine. Please let it go."

He exhaled slowly. "The only reason I am letting this go is because of my daughter," he said, then added, "And Jax. You should thank your stars she is fine."

Then he turned and walked away.

Venita and Chad looked at Mari. "We’re sorry," they said again.

Mari sighed. "Stand up," she said gently.

Venita stood.

"Don’t worry. He will come around in time," she assured them.

Then she looked at Venita. "How are you?" she asked softly. "I heard about Diva. I’m sorry."

Venita nodded. "Thank you."

"We will take our leave now," Chad said, and Mari walked them to the door.

Just before they left, Chad spoke.

"Can you do us a favour?" he asked.

Mari looked at him. "You’re not in a position to ask me for favours," she said calmly.

He nodded. "You’re right. I’m sorry."

She sighed. "What did you want?"

"Can you keep this visit a secret from Jax," he asked, and Venita nodded.

Mari frowned. "Why should it be a secret? You didn’t do anything bad."

Chad shifted. "We’re not sure how he will react."

Mari raised her phone. "Let’s find out," she said.

They panicked.

"No! Don’t call him," Venita said quickly. "Please. He’s still cold towards us."

Mari lowered her phone slowly. "I can’t promise to keep any secrets from him," she said firmly. "But you should tell him yourselves. Nothing stays secret forever anyway."

They nodded slowly. "Okay. Thank you," Chad said.

They stepped out, and she closed the door behind them, then exhaled slowly.

She was glad that they had the good sense to apologize to her father. They were all going to be alright. She knew it.