Chapter 252

Stacey and Hayden slipped out of the room, reaching the stairwell. She hesitated, then grabbed his hand. Hayden, startled, asked, "What's wrong?"

Stacey's heart pounded. "You... you and Queenie aren't getting back together, are you?"

Hayden froze. The question, and her fear, clicked. He'd spoken to Jeremy earlier. "Rest assured," he said earnestly, "Queenie and I are done. It's impossible."

Stacey's cheeks flushed. "So... can we...?" she stammered. Hope shone in Hayden's eyes. Then Jeremy appeared, but Hayden subtly signaled him back.

Unaware of Jeremy, Stacey finally whispered, "Can we really be together?"

Hayden smiled. "Why can't we?" He gently kissed her. "We're perfect," he murmured, a quick peck, mindful of Jeremy.

Meanwhile, Charlie, worried about their absence, came upstairs. He saw them kissing, quickly covered his eyes, mumbled, "I saw nothing," and fled.

Stacey, however, saw him. Panic flickered across her face. Hayden, momentarily stunned, saw Charlie run. He laughed, then quickly hushed at Stacey's soft scolding. "All right, I won't laugh," he said, coaxing her while discreetly signaling Jeremy back to his room. Jeremy, though only three, understood. Overjoyed, he obeyed.

Stacey, envisioning the gossip downstairs, raced ahead. Hayden, smiling, followed.

Later, from his room, Jeremy, pale but joyful, reveled in the thought of a new mommy. "I'm going to have a mommy!" he giggled. "I like Ms. Becky!"

Carter Villa buzzed with happiness. Across the world, in Maeloria, the Edwards Group was in chaos. Theodore, on the verge of a breakdown, faced major project problems. His risky investments, many with the Smith Group, were crumbling. News arrived from Menterra: Jenny, his supposed perfect woman, had been arrested for murder—the murder of her ex-husband's daughter.

Theodore, reeling from this revelation, was horrified. Financial fraud and murder? The thought of his children with Rebecca, and Jenny's possible motive, sent a chill down his spine. "If she feared my children would claim the Edwards fortune," he thought, "would she have harmed them too?"