Culpables years later

Noah

The walk to the venue was loud and laughing. William had rented a limousine for all of us, and because of the early champagne, the joy was high. I, of course, wasn't allowed to drink. But my lovely husband stopped by and didn't drink. This time the gala was near the water. The photos my mum showed me looked really beautiful. It was like a huge estate with a huge garden and a private beach. Everything was so beautifully decorated with chains of lights and gazebos. On the other hand, the location of the last gala was boring. The drive there took about an hour, but I spent most of my time looking out the window and seeing the city at night. It didn't bother me that the others were talking. I was completely in my own world. ,,Are you good? You seem so absent?" Nick sat down closer to me and tried to find where I was looking. ,,Yes. I enjoy the peace and quiet of the dark city." Smiling, I crushed his chin and looked out of the window again. "You also like to be in your own world, don't you? When you're not with us or your books?"

I nodded and took his hand. "Do you know where I want to go with you before the baby comes? To paris. Just the two of us. No matter how cliché it is, but that's exactly what I always wanted." Nick kissed my hand and looked at me in love. "Anything you want, Noah. Forever and ever." My fingers gently stroked Nick's and I began to think about our lives. What was and what will come? What will happen to Michael? What does it have to do with the threats William has received for the company? When will it all end? At some point the car slowed down and Steve said we were there. Everywhere there were people with cameras and some with champagne glasses. "Are you ready, Noah?" Nick looked at me encouragingly, but everyone else looked at me expectantly. I nodded with a smile and our parents were the first to get out. After a few minutes it was nick and my turn to get out. As soon as we got out, there were photographers everywhere who called us and took thousands of photos. "Noah here! Nick smile once! Congratulations on the baby!" People seemed to be freaking out about my pregnancy. But Nick and also the security kept the ladder away from me. We followed our parents to the red carpet. Actually, I wanted to let Nick in front of him so that he could take photos individually. But he didn't seem to want to. He didn't let go of my waist and pushed me closer to him. "Did you think I would leave you alone? Either photos together or none at all." I was moved by his words and together we posed for the cameras.

It was crazy how people took pictures of us and called our names. "A kiss please! Beautiful baby bump! One more time, please!" I felt blind from all the flashing lights and Nick noticed that. He raised a hand to say goodbye and took my hand to enter the property. "Why don't you kiss me in front of the cameras?" Nick seemed surprised by my question, but he wasn't mad about the question. "When I kiss you freckles, it's not for the cameras. We don't want to give them porn." Laughing, he squeezed my hand tighter and we looked for our table. "Noah, Nick. How are you? It feels like an eternity ago! And you're pregnant omg! Congratulations!" It was Jenny Manford who intercepted us both. She was a nice girl, which I met at my first Leister Gala. I half hugged her and Nick shook her hand. ,,Thank you very much. It's nice to see you. Hopefully we'll have time to talk later." She nodded and then she disappeared again. "How do you know Jenny?" I looked up at Nick before taking a glass of water. "I've known her since my first Leister Gala. After that, we met from time to time. Why? Is she your ex?" Nick took a glass of champagne from the waiter and turned to me. "No, don't worry. She went to school two grades below me. Always been a nice girl." I rolled my eyes and looked energetically at Nick. "I'm reassured that it's not another ex of yours who wants to get revenge on you." Just when he wanted to kiss me without cameras in sight, I was pushed back. "Sorry Nick. I have to kidnap noah for a moment." Jenna pulled me away to the toilets before Nick could reply.

While Jenna pulled me behind her, I couldn't help but look surprised. "Jenna, what's going on?" When we arrived at the toilets, she looked around to see if anyone was there. "Okay, don't get upset, but Sofía is here." I don't think I had a bad relationship with her. She kissed my boyfriend and then got together with him because she was in love with him all the time. Then when I was pregnant, he left her to be with me. So I guess we're fine. "It's okay Jenna. We'll never be friends, but we can put up with each other. The last time we talked was at Lions Party and even then I yelled at her and Nick." I straightened my hair in the mirror and tried to put on a smile. "Are you so sure about that? Any ex would kill for such a chance." I turned to Jenna, who looked at me nervously and I nodded. "She's decent." I took a deep breath, and together we walked to our table. This time, Jenna and Lion would even be sitting at our table, too. On the way there, a lot of people greeted us again and everyone congratulated me. In fact, many had no problem with the fact that Nick and I were step-siblings who are together. It took a certain weight off my shoulders to know you don't have to deal with stupid looks or sayings. When we arrived at the table, our men were talking to each other, but when they saw us in the eye, we immediately had their full attention. Nick reached out to me from a distance so I could sit next to him. "Are you OK?" he said. I kissed him on the cheek and nodded.

In a few minutes, Will would begin his acceptance speech. Suddenly, someone grabbed my shoulders and I was terrified. Terrified, I looked behind me and saw Marie. She was a good old friend from school days. 'Omg hey! How are you?' I got up from my chair and hugged her. 'I'm supposed to ask you. You're pregnant, I can't do this anymore.' Together we laughed and talked about old times when Will walked forward. "See you later, Marie," I said. She hugged me goodbye and quickly disappeared into her seat. "I don't see so many people I know all year, like at a gala in one night," she said. Nick shook his head, laughing. Under the table, he took my hand, and we listened anxiously to William's speech. Just as he was about to say thank you and start the evening, the lights went out in the entire estate.

Noah

The walk to the venue was loud and laughing. William had rented a limousine for all of us, and because of the early champagne, the joy was high. I, of course, wasn't allowed to drink. But my lovely husband stopped by and didn't drink. This time the gala was near the water. The photos my mum showed me looked really beautiful. It was like a huge estate with a huge garden and a private beach. Everything was so beautifully decorated with chains of lights and gazebos. On the other hand, the location of the last gala was boring. The drive there took about an hour, but I spent most of my time looking out the window and seeing the city at night. It didn't bother me that the others were talking. I was completely in my own world. ,,Are you good? You seem so absent?" Nick sat down closer to me and tried to find where I was looking. ,,Yes. I enjoy the peace and quiet of the dark city." Smiling, I crushed his chin and looked out of the window again. "You also like to be in your own world, don't you? When you're not with us or your books?"

I nodded and took his hand. "Do you know where I want to go with you before the baby comes? To paris. Just the two of us. No matter how cliché it is, but that's exactly what I always wanted." Nick kissed my hand and looked at me in love. "Anything you want, Noah. Forever and ever." My fingers gently stroked Nick's and I began to think about our lives. What was and what will come? What will happen to Michael? What does it have to do with the threats William has received for the company? When will it all end? At some point the car slowed down and Steve said we were there. Everywhere there were people with cameras and some with champagne glasses. "Are you ready, Noah?" Nick looked at me encouragingly, but everyone else looked at me expectantly. I nodded with a smile and our parents were the first to get out. After a few minutes it was nick and my turn to get out. As soon as we got out, there were photographers everywhere who called us and took thousands of photos. "Noah here! Nick smile once! Congratulations on the baby!" People seemed to be freaking out about my pregnancy. But Nick and also the security kept the ladder away from me. We followed our parents to the red carpet. Actually, I wanted to let Nick in front of him so that he could take photos individually. But he didn't seem to want to. He didn't let go of my waist and pushed me closer to him. "Did you think I would leave you alone? Either photos together or none at all." I was moved by his words and together we posed for the cameras.

It was crazy how people took pictures of us and called our names. "A kiss please! Beautiful baby bump! One more time, please!" I felt blind from all the flashing lights and Nick noticed that. He raised a hand to say goodbye and took my hand to enter the property. "Why don't you kiss me in front of the cameras?" Nick seemed surprised by my question, but he wasn't mad about the question. "When I kiss you freckles, it's not for the cameras. We don't want to give them porn." Laughing, he squeezed my hand tighter and we looked for our table. "Noah, Nick. How are you? It feels like an eternity ago! And you're pregnant omg! Congratulations!" It was Jenny Manford who intercepted us both. She was a nice girl, which I met at my first Leister Gala. I half hugged her and Nick shook her hand. ,,Thank you very much. It's nice to see you. Hopefully we'll have time to talk later." She nodded and then she disappeared again. "How do you know Jenny?" I looked up at Nick before taking a glass of water. "I've known her since my first Leister Gala. After that, we met from time to time. Why? Is she your ex?" Nick took a glass of champagne from the waiter and turned to me. "No, don't worry. She went to school two grades below me. Always been a nice girl." I rolled my eyes and looked energetically at Nick. "I'm reassured that it's not another ex of yours who wants to get revenge on you." Just when he wanted to kiss me without cameras in sight, I was pushed back. "Sorry Nick. I have to kidnap noah for a moment." Jenna pulled me away to the toilets before Nick could reply.

While Jenna pulled me behind her, I couldn't help but look surprised. "Jenna, what's going on?" When we arrived at the toilets, she looked around to see if anyone was there. "Okay, don't get upset, but Sofía is here." I don't think I had a bad relationship with her. She kissed my boyfriend and then got together with him because she was in love with him all the time. Then when I was pregnant, he left her to be with me. So I guess we're fine. "It's okay Jenna. We'll never be friends, but we can put up with each other. The last time we talked was at Lions Party and even then I yelled at her and Nick." I straightened my hair in the mirror and tried to put on a smile. "Are you so sure about that? Any ex would kill for such a chance." I turned to Jenna, who looked at me nervously and I nodded. "She's decent." I took a deep breath, and together we walked to our table. This time, Jenna and Lion would even be sitting at our table, too. On the way there, a lot of people greeted us again and everyone congratulated me. In fact, many had no problem with the fact that Nick and I were step-siblings who are together. It took a certain weight off my shoulders to know you don't have to deal with stupid looks or sayings. When we arrived at the table, our men were talking to each other, but when they saw us in the eye, we immediately had their full attention. Nick reached out to me from a distance so I could sit next to him. "Are you OK?" he said. I kissed him on the cheek and nodded.

In a few minutes, Will would begin his acceptance speech. Suddenly, someone grabbed my shoulders and I was terrified. Terrified, I looked behind me and saw Marie. She was a good old friend from school days. 'Omg hey! How are you?' I got up from my chair and hugged her. 'I'm supposed to ask you. You're pregnant, I can't do this anymore.' Together we laughed and talked about old times when Will walked forward. "See you later, Marie," I said. She hugged me goodbye and quickly disappeared into her seat. "I don't see so many people I know all year, like at a gala in one night," she said. Nick shook his head, laughing. Under the table, he took my hand, and we listened anxiously to William's speech. Just as he was about to say thank you and start the evening, the lights went out in the entire estate.