Chapter 321 - Settled

That night after feeding the twins and putting them to sleep in their cribs, Caroline's phone rang.

"Hello..."

"Sis... I have bad news to tell you!" Catherine said.

"What is it?" Caroline asked nervously.

'Do you remember Althea? Mike's new partner?"

"Yes...why?" she asked.

"She suddenly passed away early this morning!"

"Huh? What happened!?" she asked, shocked.

"Althea suffered a cardiac arrest while undergoing a painful labor yesterday and died this morning in the ICU," Catherine said.

"How about the baby?" she asked, trembling a little it.

"The baby is fine. He was delivered safely through cesarean operation," answered Catherine.

"Thank God!" Caroline said. "May I know the funeral homes where they brought the body? I want to send flowers," she said.

"Okay, I'll ask my husband because I forgot to ask the name of the funeral homes. I will text you the complete address later," Catherine replied.

"Thanks for informing me about the sad news," Caroline spoke.

"Okay, that's all for now. Bye, sis!" Catherine said.

"Bye..." Caroline responded and ended the call at her end.

She placed the phone on the side table. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, truly stunned and shaken by the tragic news of Althea's sudden passing. She remembered her conversation with Mike a few months ago. They were talking about Althea's need to undergo a diet.

Somehow, it happened!

She felt a chill run down her spine. She never wanted Althea to die!

She was in that state of consciousness when Alex exited the bathroom after taking a shower.

Alex's brows furrowed after seeing the troubled look on her face. "What's wrong, babe?" he asked, alarmed.

Caroline released a deep sigh. "I just received a call from my sister today informing me that Mike's partner, Althea passed away this morning. She suffered cardiac arrest while undergoing labor yesterday. She was taken to the ICU and died this morning..."

"Oh, that's sad," Alex said. "How about the baby?"

"The baby was delivered through cesarean operation while Althea was suffering cardiac arrest. The baby is fine, according to my sister," she answered.

"That's good," Alex said, shaking his head. "Death is indeed unpredictable. You're healthy today, but tomorrow is a different story. You're alive today but gone tomorrow. That's how life works in this world," he said with a sigh.

"Yeah, I'm feeling sad for Althea, for Mike and their baby," Caroline said.

"We will send a flower to her wake bearing your family name. Do you have the address of the funeral home?" he asked.

"Okay, we're thinking of the same thing," she said. "I'm still waiting for my sister's text informing me the name of the funeral homes," she answered.

"Okay, I will send the flowers tomorrow," Alex said.

Caroline cleared her throat. "Babe, can I send a condolence message to Mike? Is that okay with you?" she asked his permission first.

Alex looked at her and smiled. "Yes, you can!" he responded.

Caroline picked up her phone and composed a condolence message to Mike. After she finished typing, she sends it right away. "Done!" she said and put the phone back on the side table.

Alex went to her side and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I'm going to the gym room to do some weight lifting," he said.

"Okay, go ahead," Caroline said.

Alex went to the twin's crib and planted a kiss on their tummy, then he left the bedroom.

Caroline released a deep sigh.

A few minutes later, she received a text message coming from Mike.

'Thanks!' that was his short reply to her condolence message.

Caroline stared at her phone for a long time. Mike must be feeling devastated right now. But she can't comfort him personally even if she wanted to. She breathed deeply and placed the phone back on the side table.

She went to the hot and cold dispenser machine and made herself a cup of coffee. She glanced at the coffee maker on the table that she seldom use.

She went back to the bed and watched her babies lovingly while sipping her hot coffee.

~

The next day.

10:00 am.

Two big flowers coming from the Ramirez family arrived in the funeral homes.

Mike was sitting on the bench together with John when the flowers arrived.

John looked at the flowers. "It's from Caroline and Catherine's family," he said.

"Yeah, Caroline texted me a condolence message yesterday," stated Mike.

"When are you going to the province since Althea's family wants her remains to be buried at their place?" John asked.

"The funeral home's vehicle will transport the coffin tomorrow at 8:00 am. I will travel in my car. Mother Susan can't come due to the babies. Do you want to go with me?" Mike asked.

"Sure! I'll go with you. I'll bring my bodyguards with us, Ramon and George, if that's okay with you. The more the merrier," he said, joking a bit.

"Yeah, no problem. Thanks, bro! I appreciated it very much!" Mike said.

"Don't mention it, we're family," John spoke. "Come, let's find a good restaurant nearby to eat lunch," he offered.

"Okay," Mike responded.

The men left the funeral homes to find a decent restaurant outside.

They found a good restaurant fifteen minutes drive from the funeral homes. They entered the establishment and chose a table on the second floor. After the waiter took their order, the brothers began conversing.

"What's your next plan, bro?" asked John.

Mike sighed. "Well...since the annulment is already in the hands of my lawyer, no need to worry about it. All I need to do is to focus on my growing family. Mother Susan suggested that I will take over the management of the family business so that she can retire and focus solely on raising the three children," he replied.

"That's a good suggestion!" John said. "Mother can finally enjoy her retirement, and she will be able to take care of the children personally instead of relying on the maids all the time. The maids' assistance is still needed because Mother Susan won't be able to cope with raising three young children at the same time due to her age. The best thing about the setup is that she can supervise and watched her grandchildren grow up personally under her guidance," he commented.

"Yeah. I think that's the best overall approach to the three children and my situation right now," Mike agreed.

"Okay, now that's settled," John said.

A few minutes later, the waiter came to their table and delivered their orders. They began eating their meals in silence.

One hour later.

They left the restaurant and went back to the funeral homes to stay there until 10:00 in the evening.

The following day.

It was a beautiful morning for traveling.

Ramon was driving the car with John, Mike, and George on board for an eight-hour journey, going to the province of San Roque, where Althea's family was residing.