Thirty nine.

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     Syla unlocked the door and walked into the house carrying some grocery bags. She heard laughs coming from the kitchen and she decided to check.

      "Oh! Scott." She smiled looking at Anna and Scott. Anna was seated on the countertop while Scott stood beside her peeling and slicing some apples.

    "You're back." Anna was about to leave the countetop when Scott stopped her.

   "No, let me." He shook his head. "You're not well." He dropped the knife before going to meet Syla. "Good morning Syla." He greeted her with a grin, collecting the bags from her.

   "Good morning Scott dear." She smiled. "Looks like someone is in a good mood." She glanced at her niece who blushed. "Have you been here long?" She turned back to Scott with another smile.

    "Let's just say almost an hour." Scott placed the bags on the countertop and without being told, he brought out the things from the bags.

    "Scott also went grocery shopping." Anna told her aunt.

   "That's wonderful." Syla watched Scott store most of the items in the fridge. She walked up to Anna. "What's going on between you two?" Syla smirked at her. 

    "Nothing." She shrugged, flipping her hair.

   "Are you both finally okay?" Syla asked her.

    Anna glanced at Scott back to her aunt. "Let's just say I have finally learnt to forgive... Wholeheartedly."

    "I hope it will be like this. Has he said anything about the custody case?" She asked.

   For a while, Anna had forgotten about the ongoing custody battle. Should she talk to him about it?

   "You both should talk about it." Syla told Anna. "Since you both are in a good place, you should talk about it."

    The day went by so quickly. They both enjoyed the time they spent together and their daughter was happy seeing her parents laughing and joking. It seemed like the day would never end.
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   Tuesday, court hearing...

   The judged looked at Isla who was seated on the chair with a teddy bear.

   "Your mom calls you Isla but your dad calls you Isabelle, which do you prefer I call you?" The judge smiled at the little girl.

   Isla rested her back against the chair. "This chair is so comfy." It was a swivel chair and she turned herself around on the chair. "Weeeeeeee." She giggled turning to the judge. "Your Honor, you can call me whichever you like." Isla smiled at the lady judge.

   "Your Honor?" The judged chuckled, taking off her glasses.

    "I heard those men call you that. I want to be just like you when I grow up." Isla said proudly.

     She laughed. "Okay smarty, study hard and you'll be just like me." The judge told her.

    Isla nodded. "Everyone calls me Isla but I feel Isabelle is special because daddy calls me by that name. I know mummy is pretty upset with daddy but I think she has gotten over it. She's no longer mad at daddy." Isla told the judge.

     "How do you know?"

   "Lately,  daddy is the reason why mommy smiles a lot. She's always happy. Don't you think it's a good sign that my mom and dad are finally going to get back together?" Isla asked the judge.

     "You want them to be together?"

  "Yup! We'll be a big happy family!" She threw her hands up.

   The judge nodded, she glanced up and saw Anna and Scott sitting at a close distance. They were with their lawyers, watching and listening to Isla.

  

  The hearing was finally over and the presiding judge had finally come to a conclusion and given her verdict.

   "Daddy!" She left her mother, running to meet her dad.

  Scott caught Isla, hoisting her up. "Hey." He kissed her cheek with a wide smile. "You were so brave in there princess! I am very proud of you." He said, rubbing noses with Isla.

   Anna walked up to them with a small smile plastered on her face. "Hey."

   "Hey." He smiled back.

   "I guess it's a wrap then." Anna told him.

"So then, can I say... Congratulations?" He grinned at her.

   She chuckled. "No hard feelings?"

   "No hard feelings. You deserve to raise Isabelle, I have no doubt you'd be the best mother in the world." Scott was truly happy with the outcome of the case. Anna won custody of Isla.

   Anna nodded... "Isla come on, it's time to go." She told her daughter.

  "Bye daddy, I love you." Isla hugged his neck.

    "I love you too baby." Scott closed his eyes, hugging his daughter affectionately. "Be a good girl okay?" He opened his eyes.

   "I will." She nodded as Scott planted a kiss on her forehead before dropping her on her feet.

    "Peaches, Naraya is right over there." Anna pointed to Naraya who was talking with Syla and Anna's lawyer. "Why don't you go to her." She said, before she knew it, Isla ran up to Naraya.

     Anna and Scott watched their daughter talk to Naraya who was laughing.

    "I am so proud of her." Scott said, turning to Anna. "You're doing a good job raising her."

   Anna turned to him. "You're welcome to visit her anytime you want, I will never stop you." She said to him.

   "You better not, I'll break down your door if you try to stop me." He scoffed, rolling his eyes playfully.

    She chuckled before clearing her throat. "We are going to eat out," she jerked her head towards her family. "You wanna join us?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest.

    "You want me to join you?" He smirked at her.

     "Sure." She tucked her hair behind her ears. "Besides, Isla would be happier if you were there."

    "Let me ask, if you didn't win this case and I did, what would you have done?" Scott asked her.

   She shrugged, before saying, "good thing it didn't happen. I don't have to think about it."

    Scott chuckled softly, running his hand through his hair. "I would have loved to join you but I think I'll pass. I've spent so many hours away from work for a long time, so much left undone." He declined her offer. "We can go out some other time, you, me and Isabelle." He told her

   "Okay." She gave him a genuine smile.

  "Victory looks good on you, you're glowing." He teased her with a mischievous smirk. "How about a hug?" He set his arms apart for a hug.

    Anna turned, ignoring him. "See you next time Mr Ontario." She said as she began walking away, with a smile playing on her face.

    "Hey, no fair." He called out to her but she didn't respond to him. Scott was happy that everything was better.

    He placed his hands in his pant pockets as he watched Anna and the rest leave. Isla had turned back to give him a small wave which he reciprocated.

    "We could have won the case Mr Ontario." His lawyer —Mr Wyatt said, going to stand beside him.

   "I know." Scott smiled knowingly.

   "Is this really what you want?" Mr Wyatt asked him.

    After watching Anna and Isla leave, he turned to his lawyer. "She's better off with her mother Mr Wyatt, don't you think so?"

   "But you wanted her." Wyatt argued.

  "She's already with me. She's happy, Anna's happy, and so am I. It's a win win for everyone."

    "True." He nodded. "But your father. He won't be too happy about the news, and if he finds out that you met privately with Judge Carlton, he won't let it slide." Wyatt told him.

     "My father doesn't have a say in my daughter's life. Only Anna and I can make decisions on matters concerning my daughter. I did what I thought was best, I don't care who gets it or not, his opinion doesn't matter." Scott said firmly.

    "Miss Windsor has full custody over your daughter. She is the only one with enough right." Wyatt reminded him.

    "I know that." Scott nodded. "But that isn't important."

    He had told the judge to give Anna custody of Isla, that he didn't want to pursue the case anymore and the Judge agreed without much hesitation because she knew both parents had what it took to raise the little girl.
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   "We're planning a jewelry themed birthday party for her, we're talking about crystals, gems. We're also estimating about 15 kids so the party area would need to be spacious." The party planner said with a huge smile.

     "That won't be a problem." Rhonda smiled.

   "And also..." The party planner continued.

   Anna watched Rhonda and Miss Lily aka party planner talk about how to plan her own daughter's birthday. Even though she sat with them, she wasn't even given the chance to have a say in the planning, it was all Rhonda and Lily, it was like she was invisible. Anna wanted a simple party with Isla getting all the love and affection from her family but it seemed Mrs Rhonda Ontario had other plans.

      "What do you think?" Lily asked Anna who had been absentminded for the whole twenty minutes.

     She feigned a smile. "Don't get me wrong, all your ideas are amazing and WOW." Anna cleared her throat. "But... I think this is a little bit too too too... Much?" She spoke, trying not to sound like a party pooper.

    Mrs Ontario chuckled. "This isn't too much my dear. I already spoke to Isabelle, she wants all of it and.... What she wants she gets." She smiled at Anna.

    Great. "Oh." Anna made a tight smile.

   "So speaking on the decorations..." Rhonda continued talking to Lily.

    "You'll have to excuse me." Anna said after a while. The other two women didn't seem to mind because Anna excluded herself from their discussion.

   She had been invited to the Ontario Mansion to discuss about Isla's birthday but it turned out that Rhonda had planned everything without consulting her. For the past two weeks after the whole custody battle, everything changed. Isla spent more time with Scott and the Ontarios, she was suddenly becoming too attached to them but Anna left it that way.

  

   "Ow!" She had bumped into something hard... And soft at the same time, she almost stumbled but hands caught her balance.

   "Careful." Daniel held her arms.

   Anna looked up at him. "Ow." She shut her eyes tightly as she felt a sharp pain in her head.

     "Easy there." He rubbed her arms up and down. "Are you okay?" Daniel asked her.

     Anna fluttered her eyes open. "I'm not." She raised her hand, placing it on her head. "That hurt."

      "I'm sorry." He apologized.

   She chuckled... "For what? You didn't do anything, it was my fault. I didn't even see you standing here."

    Daniel placed his hands in his pants pockets. "What have you got on your mind? It must have been serious for you not to have noticed me."

     "It's nothing." She shook her head. "I thought you were at the office."

    "I came to talk to my father." Daniel answered her. He then smiled.

    "What?" Anna raised a brow.

    "I was thinking about you and here you are... You just appeared in my front." Daniel chuckled, shaking his head.

     "Oh really," she smirked at him. "What were you thinking about?"

    "I just... I just missed you. I missed your beautiful face, your voice, your smile, your hair, your...." Daniel moved closer to her, leaning forward. "Lips, everything." He smiled, gazing at her lips.

     "Alright Romeo, I know you missed me. I missed you too." Anna smiled back. She hadn't seen him for five days since he was out on a business trip.

     "Can I get a kiss then?" His eyes had a hint of mischief in them.

  She rolled her eyes playfully. "Can I refuse?"

   "No, you can't." He smirked at her.

   He suddenly reminded her about Scott. "You wanna go out with me?" She asked him with a wide smile. 

   He feigned clueless. "What? You are asking me out on a date?"

    Anna pouted her lower lip. "Um.. Yes?"

Daniel squinted at her. "You'll have to kiss me first Anna."

   Anna gasped as she felt his arms trap her body. "Wait I..."

    He laughed seeing how stunned she was. "Relax Anna, I was only kidding. And of course I would loved to go on a date with the most beautiful woman on earth," he kissed her cheek.

    Anna sighed for relief. "Oh, good." Before she could speak, she heard Rhonda call her name from a distance.

   "Anna dear, please I need your help." Rhonda smiled sweetly.

   "Oh." She instantly tried to wiggled out from Daniel's grip.

    "What's the rush?" He winked at her.

   "No, Dee... Your mom... She's watching us." She struggled to get free, but Daniel pulled her closer.

    "Does that matter? She knows that you aren't just a friend to me." Daniel kissed her cheek.

   "Oh God, Dee." Anna threw her head back, she tried to push him off.

     He chuckled. "What are you so scared of?" Daniel glanced at his mom who didn't even pay attention to them, as Rhonda was showing Miss Lily around the house.

   "Your mom." Anna frowned at him.

    "Why is that?" He looked at her.

    "I don't want to disrespect her as she has called for me." Anna shook her head, still trying to push him off.

     "Is that it?" He smiled, leaning closer to her face.

     "Dee..." With her body bent backwards,  knew she would fall if he unwrapped his arms from her body. "Not here..."

   He frowned slightly. "Huh?"

   "You want to kiss me, not here, okay?" Anna told him with a tight smile, holding onto his shirt for her dear life.

   "Where?"

     "Inside." Anna nodded. "I'll kiss you inside." She felt his arms loosen and she yelped, yanking him forward. Then their lips met.

     "See." He smiled against her lips. "This isn't so bad." Daniel chuckled, giving her a soft peck on the lips. "Such a scaredy cat."

    Anna sighed, "Daniel?" She called him softly.

     "What is it?" He pressed his lips against her temple.

     "Let's make things official between us." She whispered.

     He met her eyes, and he frowned. "What?"

    "I've thought about it and I want us to be together." She said to him without hesitation.

     He studied her face for awhile. "What?" He pulled her up, allowing her to get her balance.

     "It's true. You make me so happy and I want to do the same for you." She knew it was what she had to do.

     "Anna." He rubbed his forehead. "Why?"

    "Why... Why what?" She seemed confused by the question.

     "Why are you really doing this? You don't have to force yourself if you don't want to." He shook his head.

    "I-I don't understand." She batted her lashes in confusion.

   "I love you Anna, I love you so much. But... I know what you're doing. Oh Anna," he sighed sadly, pulling her closer. "I know you're only saying yes to me because you don't want to hurt me. You feel that you owe me, but sweetie you don't." He hugged her. "I told you I'll wait till your heart accepts me."

    She pulled away from him. "No. No. Daniel, I want us to be together. That's what I want." She said firmly.

    "We're always together." He grinned at her.

     "Daniel you love me, you love Isla, it's not hard to love you. I really really like you Dee, don't do this." She bit the corner of her lip. "It's just you."

      Daniel kissed her forehead. "I want this time to be different. We'll take everything one step at a time, no rush okay?" He held her face.

   She could only nod. Why was Daniel doing this?! She was basically putting her feelings aside for his happiness and yet he was still reluctant to accept her! She couldn't wait anymore, the longer she waited the more her heart opened up to Scott in a way that it never did with Daniel.

      Anna had began to develop a soft spot for Scott due to his constant being around. He really showed how much he loved Isla, how much time he sacrificed to be with his daughter. And now, Scott was slowly winning Anna over with his charms.


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