The Second Marriage Chance

Sarah

[A week after my conversation with Dad.]

Philip had asked me to limit my outings outside Serenity Pines Estate, citing concerns for my safety and well-being. I agreed to his suggestion, understanding his protective instincts, but I had some important business engagements to attend too.

Fortunately, my pregnancy wasn’t showing yet, allowing me to seamlessly manage the big event for LoveLogic.

Emily and I sat at the very edge of the large event hall, where the event was broadcast live on our social media platform, which the BM Technologies marketing team still manages.

“Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to meet our newest VIP character!” the charismatic host announces, her voice echoing through the hall. “We proudly introduce… Bronn!”

The main screen lights up, revealing an animated non-player character clearly inspired by Bronn Martin, the young head chief of BM Technologies.

The host, smiling excitedly, started listing Bronn’s features.

“And the best part? When you update your LoveLogic app, you’ll find Bronn waiting as your very own non-player character companion!”

I turned to Emily. “How does it feel to see a non-realistic version of Bronn like this?” Realizing my question might have been insensitive, I quickly backtracked. “I’m sorry, that just slipped out. Think of it as just a casual survey.”

She shrugged, saying, “It’s… cringe-worthy in some ways, yet I can’t help but be amazed by the technology and creativity behind it.”

I can’t suppress a small giggle at her response. Changing the subject, I lean in closer. “Oh, by the way, I wanted to tell you-my brother has found two new assistants for me. This means your workload will be much lighter and shared with the team.”

“Wow! That’s great! By the way, Sarah, perhaps you haven’t realized it, but people recognize you more, especially at the office. The value of the stocks we recently invested in is skyrocketing! At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if you become a recognized name in the business world within a year or two, purely based on your rapidly growing net worth,” Emily explained.

Hmmm, perhaps I can build my own empire in the future.

Jakob approached us with a broad smile, showing me the live status of our app. “We received great feedback, Sarah! People are absolutely loving our app!” he said excitedly. “Just today alone, we’ve had over a hundred thousand new downloads. It’s exploding!”

“That’s great, Jakob!” Caught up in the moment, I stand and throw my arms around him in a celebratory hug. However, it was brief as someone pulled him away by the collar.

Then I saw Philip behind Jakob, looking sour. He came closer and hugged me.

“Philip!” I greet him, genuinely happy to see him.

He kissed me on the cheek. “Congratulations, love!” he murmured.

“Wow! I just wanted to hug my friend!” Jakob said with a pout.

My husband ignored Jakob’s comment and focused only on me. “I heard you’ve been busy with this event since this morning. Let’s go home and get some rest.”

Thanks to Philip’s concern for me, he even took the trouble to pick me up.

As we cruised along the city streets, I couldn’t help but ask about Jane.

“Jane mentioned that your dad called her back to Luminary Productions to head the advertising team. Because of that, she had to turn down our offer to work on new character designs,” I said, enjoying the buns Philip had bought for me.

Although I stay in touch with Jane through texts, we last met in person when we visited their mansion.

“Don’t worry about her. Jane’s doing great,” he assured me, a gentle smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

“Oh, I know; it’s just that I miss her so much!” I pouted my lips.

He let me finish my bun in contemplative silence as we continued our journey home.

The following day, Jakob asked me to visit Amir’s villa, conveniently located across from Serenity Pines, where he’s currently staying. I allowed him his fondness for the place. Philip had left early for work, including a visit to a construction site. I noticed he had doubled his workload, likely pressured due to my pregnancy.

“I have good news!” Jakob announced, munching on an apple while facing his laptop.

“What is it?”

“A total of half a million users have downloaded our Lovelogic app, baby!” Jakob exclaimed.

I squealed in excitement. “That’s amazing news, Jakob!”

“Yes! And that’s not all.” He grabbed his sleek iPad, placed it in front of me, and showed its high-resolution screen filled with colorful charts and graphs-detailed analytics of the LoveLogic app.

“We have thousands of users who have made Bronn their non-realistic boyfriend in the app. They don’t mind paying a premium to purchase Bronn’s character-it’s become our most popular option by far.”

However, Jakob wasn’t finished. “What really caught my attention,” he said, his brow furrowing slightly, “is that Sarah Benner-or should I say, Lila-the one you asked me to keep an eye on? She purchased Bronn’s character too.”

“I’m not bothered by that,” was all I could say.

“I did some digging, and I think Lila might be obsessed with my brother Bronn,” Jakob explained.

I considered this for a moment, thinking back to my own observations. “I’m not entirely surprised by that. When I was with Bronn at the party, I noticed that Lila looked at him with admiration.”

“I heard from my mom that your dad talked to my parents. It’s only now that I realized what it was about. Initially, I thought they talked because of you. This morning, I asked my mom if the agenda for the meeting was about the engagement between our families, and she confirmed it. However, she said it’s not about you and Bronn. The Benners replaced you, and they want Lila to marry my brother instead.”

My eyes rolled at this revelation.

“And what did Bronn say about it?” I asked.

“I’m not sure! My parents were eager for him to get married.”

A thought struck me, and I furrowed my brow. “You know he has a daughter with Emily, right?”

“Honestly, I’m itching to ask Bronn about it! Geez! But I know if I do, you’ll end our friendship! Sometimes it’s hard knowing too much!” Jakob complained.

“How about your parents? Would they approve of Emily for Bronn, given the circumstances?”

“I don’t know… My parents have high expectations for Brother Bronn, especially since he’s the head chief at BM Technologies.”

“And at this point,” I pressed, feeling a knot forming in my stomach, “your parents likely to choose Bronn to marry Lila, especially since they’ve already talked to my father?”

Exhaling heavily, I felt sadness for Emily and her child. Bronn must realize it’s crucial to follow his heart instead of just sticking to tradition.

He should have some courage, really! I know he loves Emily-that’s the biggest reason why I removed him from the possibility of being my future love. But fate had other plans, leading me to Philip-my hardworking, devoted husband.

***

Bronn

After learning the reason why Emily’s mother died back then, it became my vow to donate to a charity group whose mission is to help patients with heart disease.

Since I went to the hospital to provide some donations, I made a brief visit to my doctor.

The doctor told me that I was over-fatigued and lacking sleep, which is why my headaches were becoming more frequent. I was given medicine after receiving a stern lecture from the doctor about self-care.

Dr. Ethan Vanderbilt held a little girl’s hand in the hospital hallway. He’s a client and also happens to be Philip Cornell’s best friend, with some mutual friends in our circle.

“Dr. Vanderbilt!” I greeted him.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Mr. Martin, you came again,” he commented.

“Yes. I’m getting older, so I’m visiting the hospital more often,” I joked.

He chuckled. Looking down at the little girl, a strange feeling washed over me. She has wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes-the same as me and Ethan Vanderbilt, too!

With curiosity, I asked, “Is she your daughter? Hello!”

“Hello, uncle!” The little girl waved at me cheerfully.

Dr. Vanderbilt grinned. “See? I told you, baby! I can be your daddy!”

The little girl giggled. “You must really like my mommy a lot!”

Ethan turned his attention back to me again. “Anyway, Sarah’s assistant just asked me to look after her daughter for a bit. She had to run an errand at my dad’s clinic in the building next door.”

My smile faded instantly. “Sarah’s assistant?” I glanced down at the little girl, my jaw tightening. “You mean Emily?”

“Yes, this is Willow,” Ethan confirmed, gesturing towards the girl. “Emily’s daughter.”