"It''s not too early. It''s just the right time," Vrie replied.


    "Alright then," N conceded and sat down beside her. "Well, on behalf of the baby, I''ll say thank you in advance."


    Vrie reached out and gently touched N''s still-t stomach. Her voice softened. "Baby, when you''re born, your godmother will have an even bigger gift waiting for you."


    "What kind of gift?" N asked.


    Vrie shot her a yful nce. "You''ll find out when the timees."


    As they chatted, Damon returned home.


    He was a little surprised to see Vrie but still greeted her, "Ms. Weir."


    "Good afternoon, Mr. Sumner," Vrie returned the greeting.


    N turned to Damon. "Why are you back so early?"


    "I came to grab a file. Figured I''d check in on you while I was here," Damon answered.


    Vrie rolled her eyes. "Hey, hey, can you not be so publicly affectionate? Some of us are still single, you know!"


    Nughed. "Aren''t you getting along pretty well with that younger guy?"


    At the mention of Stefan, Vrie let out a sigh. "Who knows where that''s going?"


    She felt protective of Stefan, but there was no real spark.


    Initially, she had been drawn to his looks, but the more they interacted, the more she realized she admired his appearance-nothing more.


    Or maybe, she just wasn''t interested in any man after Brandon.


    Seeing Vrie''s downcast expression, N turned to Damon. "You should go get your file."


    "Alright," Damon replied.


    Once Damon left, N turned back to Vrie. "Did something happen?"


    Vrie lowered her gaze, pausing for a long moment before finally saying, "Someone posted online today using Brandon of being ungrateful. They said Michelle got hurt saving him, but since she''s been in the hospital, he hasn''t visited her once.


    "The Inte is full of people calling him a heartless capitalist. Oh, and Michelle''s the ''friend'' he was always so ambiguous about."


    She let out a frustrated sigh. "We''ve


    already broken up, but his still


    messes with emotions


    annoying. Do you think I''m stuck in the past?"


    N frowned slightly. "You used to love Tom just as much as you love Brandon now, but when he cheated, you still managed to move on Time makes everything fade


    "It''s normal to still have feelings for him. You''re not a machine-you can''t just flip a switch and stop caring.


    "What matters is deciding whether you want a clean break or if there''s still a chance for you two."


    Vrie ruffled her hair in frustration. "I don''t know... I guess I''ll wait and see if he can keep his promise not to see Michelle for a month."


    "That''s fair," N said.


    They talked a while longer before Vrie left.


    After seeing her off, N turned and headed for the study. She knocked lightly before stepping inside.


    Damon was reviewing some documents. Hearing the door open, he looked up and smiled when he saw it was N. He set the papers down. "Vrie left?"


    "Yeah. You wanted to talk to me about something?" N asked.


    If Damon had onlye back for a file, he wouldn''t have stayed in the study this long.


    He nodded. "Mm. Alexander just contacted me. Edward passed away."


    N pressed her lips together. "That has nothing to do with us. Why is he telling you?"


    "Because there''s a rumor going around that Brian killed him," Damon supplied.


    N frowned. "Brian lost a leg in a car ident, didn''t he? How could he have killed Edward?"


    Damon nodded. "He''s taking the fall for Emerald. The real culprit is Emerald." N wasn''t surprised. Emerald would do anything to take control of the Nixons.


    "The Nixons must be in chaos right now," shemented.


    Damon nodded. "Yeah. Alexander thinks Emerald will probably sacrifice Brian to save herself. Meanwhite, Edward''s lover and son are fighting for control. They have Edward''s with and a lot of people in the family are siding with them."