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The next morning, after quickly scarfing down the breakfast, Jackson and the twins ran outside to play while the adults continued eating. Joseph couldn't help the warm feeling he got when he saw the kids running around the house. It reminded him of the days when Riele and her cousins used to be little children, playing and having fun. Their unadulterated smiles always made his day. And so he asked Jace if he and the kids could spend the day at the mansion.
This, however, did not sit well with Irene as she scoffed, shooting Jace a contemptuous glare. "Oh, please, Joseph, need I remind you that we are not running a charity here to keep entertaining these worthless orphans" She was still pissed that things didn't go according to her plan, the previous evening.
Joseph's head snapped up in her direction, his eyes blazing with anger. "Mind your words, Irene. Our daughter is dating Jace and so they're family" He said firmly.
Seeing the enraged look in her husband's eyes, Irene bit her tongue and lowered her head, mumbling an apology. "I'm sorry, Joe"
"It's not me, you need to apologize to, Irene" Joseph said in a stern voice and Irene stood up abruptly, her face twisted in fury.
"No! I will NOT apologize to that skid row scum!" She shouted and stormed out of the room, in a blistering rage.
"Irene!" Joseph yelled after her but his wife simply ignored him and walked away.
How dare her husband ask her to apologize to some pathetic swine?
"It's..... it's okay, Mr. Downs, your wife need not..." Jace started to speak but Joseph held up his hand.
"Stop it, son, what my wife said was uncalled for and I personally apologize for her words" He said and then excused himself from the table to go have a talk with his wife.
No one noticed that Jackson was standing at the door, listening to every word of it as tears welled up in his eyes. Once again it was proved that nobody wants them. They were a bunch of unwanted and unlovable orphans.
"Baby, I'm so sorry for..." Riele began to apologize to her boyfriend.
"It's okay Riele, I'm used to it" Jace said, gazing down at the table, hurt evident in his tone.
After years and years of hearing people say nasty things about him, calling him useless and destitute, he knew he should be immune to it but couldn't help the pain such words caused him even today.
Riele opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Jackson. "Jace?" He called, his voice barely audible.
Both Jace and Riele turned around to look at him standing near the door, his eyes wet with tears as his bottom lip quivered.
"You promised they would be different" Jackson had a pained expression on his face that broke Jace's heart and made him realize that his little brother must have heard what Mrs. Downs' had said. He quickly got to his feet and went over, pulling him into a tight hug. Jackson just clung to his brother and cried, his face buried in his shoulder.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that, buddy. I'm sorry" Jace kept whispering words of comfort in his ear.
A few minutes later, Jackson stopped crying and pulled away from his brother's embrace. He wiped his tears and looked up at Jace, his red-rimmed eyes fighting back tears.
"I will go and pack my stuff?" He said, his voice limp and indifferent.
"Yes, come on, sweetheart" Riele went to take Jackson's hand when Jace stopped her.
"Riele, I'm sorry but I think we shouldn't see each other anymore" He said, not meeting her eyes.
"What!?" Riele eyes grew wide in shock. "Jace, what do you mean? You....you're breaking up with me?" Her voice shook as she spoke.
"I'm sorry, Ri.....Ms. Downs, your mother doesn't want to be associated with people like us so it would be ideal if we..."
"Shut up! Just shut up, Jace! You know Irene is not my mother and I don't care what she thinks about us!" Riele cried out in anguish, tears spilling from her eyes.
When Jace did not respond, Riele took his hands into her own and looked at him beseechingly. "Please, baby, you can't do this to me. Please, Jace...."
Jace shook his head and pried his hands away, wrapping his arm around Jackson, protectively. "I'm sorry, Ms. Downs, I can't be with someone whose family doesn't approve of me and my kids. I am all they have" He said and then walked up the stairs with Jackson in tow.
Of course he liked Riele and he would ever dare say he loved her but he couldn't just think about himself. He had a family to take care of. He needed to keep his promise to his sister and fulfill his responsibilities towards his family.
All Riele could do was stand rooted to her spot in complete shock.
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A few hours later, Jace and his kids were back at their apartment. Jace had put the twins and Ruby down for a nap, and was cooking lunch when the door bell rang. "Jackson, could you get the door for me, buddy?" He called out from the kitchen.
"Okay" Jackson hollered back as he put down his homework and went to open the door.
Jace entered the living room a couple of minutes later, wiping his hands on a towel. "Jack, who was it?"
Jace stopped mid step when he saw Mr. and Mrs. Downs standing in the middle of the room. "Mr. Downs, what are you doing here?" Jace asked, eyeing Irene wearily. He could feel her disdainful blue eyes burning a hole into him.
"I'm sorry for showing up unannounced, son but my wife here wanted to tell you something..." Joseph looked back at his wife, giving her a pointed look. "Irene?"
Irene, who hadn't moved an inch, clenched her fist to control her temper as she took a deep breath and turned to face Jace. "Jace, I'm sorry for the way I acted this morning. I shouldn't have said those words. Please forgive me" She gritted the last part.
Jace's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Oh no, Mrs. Downs, there's no need to apologize." Jace was interrupted by Joseph.
"Son, my daughter likes you so much and she is devastated that you broke up with her. Please forgive me and my wife for whatever mistakes we might have made. Please don't punish Riele for our actions" Joseph pleaded with Jace.
Jace shook his head. "No, sir, please, I didn't mean to hurt your daughter. I just...I didn't want to cause any misapprehensions in your family. I know I'm not suitable for Riele...."
"Son, don't you say like that. You are a good man and you make my daughter happy. Riele is very lucky to be with someone like you" Joseph said veritably.
Jace looked to his brother, who was standing quietly in the corner, his eyes trained on the floor. Sighing inwardly, Jace walked over to his brother. "Buddy, are you okay with this?" He asked softly and Jackson nodded his head, not looking up.
Wanting to receive a more concrete answer, Jace lifted his chin, making him look at him. "Jackson, you know I won't do it if you don't want me to"
Jackson could see the wistful look in Jace's eyes and knew his brother liked Riele very much. If he was being honest, Riele had always treated him well but he was still worried about what Mrs. Downs would say.
"If Mrs. Downs promises not to call us orphans again...." He trailed off, sending a withering look towards Irene.
"She won't! I can assure you, Jackson, she will not say such words ever again" Joseph raised an eyebrow at his wife who promptly apologized to Jackson and promised not to mistreat him.
Jace turned back to Joseph and smiled. "Sir, if you don't mind, I would like to continue dating your daughter"
"Of course, son" Joseph beamed brightly as he pulled out his phone and dialed his daughter's number. Seconds later, Riele, who had been waiting in the car, was knocking on the front door. When she came in, Joseph took his daughter's hand and placed it Jace's causing the young couple to smile widely.
Riele looked up at her boyfriend with watery eyes. "Jace, I promise I will never do or say anything to hurt you or our kids" She said ardently.
When Jace heard her say "our kids", he couldn't stop the overwhelming emotion that he felt in his heart as he wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her in for a deep kiss. Pulling away, Riele blushed fiercely as she laid her head on his shoulder, feeling elated.
Irene bit her tongue and stood beside her husband, pretending to look happy but on the inside, she was boiling with rage. This morning, after she made those scathing remarks on Jace and his family, her husband had yelled at her and threatened to leave her if she didn't accept Jace and Riele's relationship. So, she didn't have a choice but to comply for now. Of course, she would soon be discussing about this with her lover and make Jace pay for causing a rift between her and Joseph.
The following week, Riele had been very busy helping Antonio set up their New York office and prepping Jace for the photoshoot. When Antonio moved to New York, a month ago, and Riele had introduced Jace to him, Antonio felt sad that some other guy had stollen her heart but after seeing the two of them interact so lovingly, he realized that they were made for each other.
"Are you sure you two are not married yet?" One day, he had asked her jokingly.
"Oh stop it, Tony. I told you we're only dating" Riele said, blushing shyly. Someday, she hoped, it would be more than that but for now they are still getting to know each other.
Two days before the photoshoot, Riele had a meeting with some of the designers and so she came home late. Knowing everyone must be fast asleep, she quietly unlocked the front door and went in.
When she saw her boyfriend pacing up and down across the living room, lost in deep thought, she frowned.
"Jace?" She called in a low voice, not wanting to startle him.
Jace whipped around, looking at her with a panic stricken expression on his face. "Rie, thank God you're home!" He crossed the room in a few quick strides and hugged her, his anxiety levels going higher and higher with every passing minute.
"Baby, what's wrong? What happened? Are the kids alright?" She inquired frantically, worry and concern evident in her tone.
Pulling away, Jace nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm sorry. The kids are okay but I....I don't think I can do this, Rie"
"What? Jace, what are you talking about?" Riele tilted her head, incredulously. It didn't make any sense. Why would her boyfriend react in such a way if it wasn't some kind of an emergency.
"This photoshoot thing. I can't do it"
"What? Why?" Now she was really confused.
When he simply lowered his head and didn't reply, she cupped his face in the palms of her hands and planted a soft kiss on his lips. "Baby, tell me what's wrong?" She coaxed him.
Jace continued to remain quiet for a few moments and then he spoke, so softly Riele could scarcely hear him. "What if.... what if they realize that I am a worthless toerag?"
"What?" Riele asked since she couldn't hear his murmured words.
Jace looked directly into her beautiful eyes, his own filled with fear and anxiousness. "I don't want to embarrass you in front of your friends, Rie"
"Oh, honey" She smiled understandingly. "You're just feeling nervous, that's all"
"But what if...." Jace began to say but got interrupted by Riele. "Jace, listen to me. I know you can do this, okay? I believe in you, baby"
Looking into her eyes, Jace saw the deep affection she had towards him. It helped boost his confidence as he took a deep breath and nodded his head.
"Yes, I can do this" He said and a big smile appeared on Riele's face. "That's the spirit, Baby. Now, come on, let's go get some sleep" She took his hand and led him to their bedroom.
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On the day of the photoshoot, Riele drove Jace to the studio a little early so he could get a feel of the place. Tom, Zendaya's boyfriend, was going to be the photographer for the session.
When they reached the place, they met one of Tom's friends, who gave them a brief tour, explaining about how things went around there and what was expected from Jace. Thanks to Riele's training, Jace understood most of it as he nodded along.
Half an hour later, the photographer came in and the hair and make-up team carried Jace away.
The photoshoot continued for the better part of five hours and by the time it was over, Jace was so tired. Although he is used to working twelve-hour shifts as a serving staff, he had been very nervous and anxious about today that he had barely slept the previous night.
When he walked off the set, Riele ran over to him and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips. "You were brilliant, baby!"
"Thanks, Rie" Jace gave her a tentative smile.
"Yeah, you did a good job, buddy" Tom joined them, patting Jace's shoulder in appreciation.
"I did?" Jace asked, his tone filled with apprehension.
He didn't want Riele to think that he was just some useless vermin. Aside from his family and friends, she was the first person to believe in him and so he wanted to impress her.
"Yes, I mean, you do need to look a bit more confident but seeing as this is your first photoshoot, it's quite understandable that you were nervous" Tom said with a gentle smile.
Jace nodded his head fervently. "I'll work on that, Mr. Holland"
"Please, call me Tom or Thomas"
"Okay. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity, Tom" Jace said as they shook hands before Tom went back to work.
"I'm so proud of you, Jace!" Riele pecked his lips gently.
"Thank you, Riele, for everything" He gave her a grateful smile. "I'm so lucky to have you in my life"
"Oh Jace, I'm the one who is lucky to be with such an amazing guy like you" Riele replied honestly, her arms going around his neck as she pulled him down for a kiss.
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A/N: Thank you for reading. I hope you liked the chapter 💖 I would love to hear your thoughts.