Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

The manor was buzzing with activity that day.

"Baby Ava, you just stay right here," Frank exclaimed as he carefully placed a comfortable chair in the courtyard and gently guided Ava to sit down.

Natalie, alongside Jasper, was busy adorning the yard with vibrant balloons while Trevon, sleeves rolled up, meticulously arranged the flowers. Each bloom had been handpicked by Joseph himself. There were lovely pink roses, elegant purple orchids, and delicate white baby's breath. All contributing to the simple yet luxurious thof the decorations.

"Dad, this book's for you. Uncle said to follow the instructions inside and not mess it up," Jasper handed the book to Trevon, offering a subtle reminder amidst the bustling preparations.

Having arrived early in the morning, Trevon and his family were there to assist in preparing the manor for the impending wedding. Once everything was perfectly set up, they planned to head back to Athana. Despite Ava moving to Athana after the wedding, they wanted the manor to be lively and celebratory, keeping the essence of festivity intact.

"Yeah, you go hang those balloons." Jasper shrugged, his expression playful yet conveying the seriousness of his message, leaving it to his dad to decide whether to heed it or not.

Alex, another early arrival at the manor, couldn't help but remark, "Jasper, you're even more dashing than before," Jasper glanced at Alex and sized her up. "You're not bad either." "Hey, Natalie, this little dude's turned so cool," Alex complimented.

"Jasper, it's not polite to talk this way. You should call her Miss Johnson," Natalie emphasized, hoping to instill smanners.

Ever easygoing, Alex laughed it off, saying, "No worries. You can callbro if you want. Callhowever you like." "Okay, bro," Jasper agreed, casting a mischievous glance at Natalie.

Natalie frowned, kind of speechless. However, Alex seemed delighted by the playful interaction with Jasper.

"Darling, don't tire yourself out. Supervise me; I'm afraid of making mistakes," Trevon handed the notebook to Natalie, looking rather earnest.

"Well, can't we just hang it over there? You can take a look from a distance," Natalie said in jest, but ultimately ended up taking the book and instructing Trevon on how to arrange things.

Christina and Joseph hadn't returned yet; The Turner Corporation was granting a five-day holiday post their daughter's wedding. Therefore, today, the couple was wrapping up final tasks at the company.

Meanwhile, Emma and Daniel were busy decorating their daughter's room while the household staff and security guards were in the living room.

"Yana, what kind of wedding do you fancy?" The nearby guard, sensing Benjamin's playful itch, couldn't help but ask.

"Shut up if you don't want a beating," Yana retorted.

However, it seemed like her words acted more like a mute button to the former's chattering, as Benjamin persisted, "The gentleman just now was Mr. Wilson. | think he looks quite approachable. He's tall, handsome, and has a pleasant demeanor. Why's it so hard to get along with him? See, he's always smiling at Miss Natalie." No one paid much attention to Benjamin's verbose comments.

Frank gave Benjamin a light pat on the back of his head. "Seems like you're fond of him. We'll arrange something for you when we get to Athana." There was something odd in the way those words sounded, a lingering suspicion that Frank wasn't entirely sincere. Yet, there was no concrete evidence to support that feeling.

As they reached the door, Frank turned to Trevon. "Benjamin thinks you're easy-going. He'd like to spend stwith you." His words drew laughter from everyone. Even Jim thought Trevon might be suffering from hormonal imbalances, yet someone perceived him as approachable. Benjamin must have a bad eyesight.

Trevon, however, remained silent, only offering a faint smile, remarking that Benjamin was indeed the first to find him easy-going.

With everyone pitching in, the entire manor was beautifully decorated within two hours. Christina's child, George, remained quite well-behaved, sleeping in his room while everyone was busy. He only woke up once everything was done.

Natalie held George, sitting on the couch, then motioned for Jasper to hold him. Jasper took the little one, cautiously positioning him on his lap, crossing his arms to prevent his brother from slipping. "Isn't he too heavy for you? Can you do it?" Jasper nodded, stating calmly, "I can manage; he's quieter than his sister." "Natalie, Trevon, you've got to rein in your two daughters; they seem to be unstoppable," Natalie had the sperspective toward the chaos caused by her daughters. However, Trevon, unlike his wife and son, didn't perceive their activities as noisy and hardly intervened in their everyday mischief.

The man raised his eyebrows slightly and said, in a casual tone, "They'll be more quiet next year." Jasper, upon hearing his dad's words, didn't feel like expressing any opinion. Every this mom criticized his sisters, his dad always said this.

Frank helped Ava inside to rest, and as soon as they entered, they overheard Trevon's words. So Frank said, "You're spoiling your daughters." "This is exactly my intention. After saying this, Trevon looked meaningfully at Frank. Frank understood the implicit meaning behind that look. Whether it was a son or a daughter, he would treat them all the same. He wouldn't be biased toward anyone.

"Almost done, let's head out. Christina and Joseph mentioned they'll cover later in the evening. Seems like they haven't finished things yet. We won't wait; let's go ahead. They'll make it on their own. Ava, don't worry.

Your brother won't be late," Daniel explained.

The group, in a line of cars, headed toward the airport. Trevon's family sat in Frank's car. Daniel, Emma, and Alex sat in one car, Yana in another. Benjamin and the security guards were in another car.

Frank was the male lead for that day. Trevon simply assisted on the side. After getting off the plane, Trevon and Natalie headed back to the Wilsons’ residence.

A few hours later.

Frank drove them to his villa in Deepwater Bay. Originally, Ava planned to live in the suite Joseph bought for Natalie before the wedding. However, considering Jenny, and that it was Ava's wedding, Natalie suggested her sister choose a different place.

Actually, Trevon's house in Evergreen Gardens was also vacant. But because he didn't want anyone to notice the secret about the ceiling, he made a flimsy excuse, saying that Frank's Deepwater Bay was more suitable, because it would be Ava's home.

Staying in a hotel was an option, but Grace thought that hotels were never like a hand it would never feel like hto stay there. Plus, hotel rooms had hosted many people; even the presidential suite had seen numerous occupants.

After much discussion, they ultimately went with Trevon's idea. So the night before the wedding, Ava would stay in Deepwater Bay, where Ava was more familiar with.

As the cars arrived at Deepwater Bay, everyone disembarked. Grace and William, along with their staff, were still at the entrance, decorating the archway with clusters of pink and white roses. Each flower was in full bloom, and the workers were meticulously careful, handling the flowers with delicate precision.

Sof them even used orchid fingers to delicately arrange the rose blossoms.

It was Alex and Yana's first tin Athana, and they couldn't help but look around curiously. However, they maintained their manners, quietly observing everything around them.

Grace, noticing the guests’ arrival, set down her task and delegated the remaining work to her staff. She lifted her foot to greet the Tuner family. "You must have been exhausted from the trip. Take srest." Emma replied, "You guys are getting personally involved in everything. We appreciate it a lot." "Mum, Dad!" Ava called out to the Roberts couple as soon as she stepped out of the car.

Grace had a particularly cheerful demeanor today. Instinctively, she glanced at Ava's belly, contemplating stepping forward to assist but refrained, realizing her hands were dirty. She cautioned, "Take it slow, Frank, keep an eye on her." "Hmm," Frank hurriedly wrapped his arm around Ava's waist. The workers at the entrance immediately stood upright, shouting loudly, their voices booming as if they wanted to pierce the heavens, "Hello, Ava!" Alex and Yana were both stunned.

Benjamin, accustomed to such moments, didn't find it odd. He just looked at the two in surprise, unable to say anything, a mischievous grin on his face.

Ava found herself startled by the abrupt outburst. Grace, in response, directed a stern glance toward William, while Frank's expression turned serious as he realized his oversight. Grace's tone carried a certain chill as she commanded, "Moving forward, speak softly when you see Ava next time. There's no need to vie over who ate more today." The bodyguards echoed in unison, "Yes, Grace." Emma chuckled slightly and shook her head, finding the situation slightly amusing. William guided Daniel inside, wrapping his arm around Daniel's shoulder. "This is Frank's usual place of solitary living. Now, it's a small hfor both Ava and him. If they prefer staying with the Roberts family, they can. If they want to be alone, this place is perfect." "That's perfect," Daniel nodded, quite satisfied with the arrangement.

The Deepwater Bay villa had undergone a simple redecoration, no longer as plain. Even the living room's lights, sofas, and coffee tables had been changed. The sofa was now beige, the lights were pinkish, and there were decorations in shades of pink, white, and purple on the staircase railing, resembling the that the manor.

Daniel looked around and couldn't help but compliment, "I can see that you've put in a lot of effort." Grace contemplated aloud, "Technically, we should consider acquiring a new set for Ava's wedding. This setup seems inadequate." Ava, with Frank's reassuring support, swiftly gestured, "No, no, Frank asked me, and | said it's unnecessary. We won't use so many, and leaving them vacant would be wasteful. I'll mostly reside at the Roberts family's place.

At most, I'll be here for a few days. If we get another set, it'll be too much forto utilize." That was the truth. She heard that Trevon had many houses, like Evergreen Gardens, Royal Gardens, Phoenix Manor, and according to her sister, he had more elsewhere. They had even sold two sets this year. But most of the time, they love in the Wilson's residence.

There was no point in buying more if they couldn't live in all of them; buying homes wasn't like collecting stamps.

Grace, after sanitizing her hands, gently reached out to brush off a stray hair from Ava's cheek. "As long as you're content." "I'm happy; | love living at the Roberts family villa." They then ascended to inspect the decorations. Ava and Frank's room boasted a lavish princess-themed décor, exuding romance akin to a princess's escape in a fairy tale. The Roberts family's dedication was evident, leaving Daniel nodding in approval, thoroughly pleased.

Frank arranged for Alex and Yana to occupy the guest room on the left. Alex expressed his gratitude with a cheerful tone.

"Tom," Frank called out from the second floor, leaning casually on the railing, beckoning Tom at the gate. The chatter outside promptly subsided, and Tom hurried inside. "Frank, any instructions... the arch... it's nearly finished. You'll inspect it later." "Later, you can take this guy to the hotel in Athana. I've already arranged it," Frank instructed Tom, handing over the responsibility with a smile.

Tom, elated with the task, nodded vigorously. "Absolutely, I'll make sure everything is perfect," he assured, slinging an arm around Benjamin's shoulder as if they were long-tpals. "Hey buddy, let's share a room together tonight. I'll get you this amazing suite. Do you prefer two beds or one?" Benjamin, slightly taken aback, cautiously retreated a few steps. "I like women." "Of course,too! I'm not asking for anything else. Look, I'm just helping you settle in; | don't mean to scare you," Tom reassured, though his motives might also involve seeking a place to stay.

With the villa arrangements sorted, everyone made their way to the Athana Hotel for dinner. The evening was filled with laughter, stories, and the clinking of glasses. But due to Ava's pregnancy and the impending busy day, the group decided to call it an early night, bidding each other goodbyes before heading to their respective accommodations.