Julianne remembered the first time she had laid eyes on her daughter. But at that time, her daughter still belonged to someone else.
She was still lying in her friend's arms, Rae, her biological mother. She still had two loving parents who worshipped her.
"I want you to meet Gavrielle." Rae walked toward her, proudly showing off her beautiful child.
"She is lovely," Julianne said in amazement as she stared at the adorable baby carried in the arms of her dear friend.
She always wanted a daughter but was only blessed with a son. Although she loved her son dearly, she still longed for a girl. Unfortunately, she and her husband were still not blessed with another child.
"Gavrielle is," Rae answered proudly, showing off her beautiful baby girl.
Upon mention of her name, the tiny infant in her hands smiled as if she recognized that it was her name they were calling.
"What an unusual name for a girl?" Julianne questioned her friend. In her mind, it sounded more suitable for a boy. But unconventional names had become quite common now.
"You know how much Laurence wanted a son, but he got a daughter. We are both happy with her. But he already decided on the name, thinking we will have a son." Rae tried to explain why their daughter had ended up with such a name.
It was her fault. She should have insisted on learning about the sex of their baby before it was too late. Now, they were overwhelmed with boy clothes, toys, and things.
Her dear husband decided to announce that we were having a boy but forgot to retract his statement, so many assumed they did have a boy.
"Well, we can only dream of what we want. But fate still has the power to change it according to its will," Julianne muttered resignedly, knowing she could do nothing about it.
He wanted a daughter, but she had a son. Same with his friend, who dreamt of a son, but fate graced him with an adorable daughter.
"That is true." Rae agreed with her friend as she gazed down at Gavrielle.
But she was happy despite having a girl as their first child. She knew her husband was proud of her despite not getting what he always wanted.
"If only we can arrange that our children will marry in the future, then maybe my dream of having a daughter will eventually come true, and your dream to have a son." Julianne jokingly said as she gazed again at the little bundle of joy in Rae's arms.
"That is a nice idea. That would make us as if we are a real family." Rae also joined in the fun. But both of them were not serious.
She would never force her child into a marriage. She believed, so thus, her friend. She wanted her daughter to find the man she would love forever, just like she loved her husband.
"Hey, what are you two doing?" Finally, Laurence moved toward his wife and kissed her on the forehead. Then, he did the same to their daughter.
"I'm happy that you came to our baby's welcome party," Laurence stated as he kissed Julianne on the cheeks while he greeted her.
Laurence only had great pride in his wife for giving him a beautiful daughter. He would do anything to protect her at any cost, even if it cost his life. He did not mind dying for her and her future.
He knew he would not be a success if not for the help of his incredible wife and all she had provided. But the greatest treasure that Rae gave him was their daughter, Gavrielle.
Soon, they planned to add another child to the family. This time, he would hope again for a boy and pray to their ancestors to help him achieve that goal.
"Where are Simon and your son, Jaxson?" Laurence asked, not seeing her husband around the ballroom.
He had been busy entertaining the other guests that he did not see his best friend and family arrive earlier. The last time he saw him was during the birth of their daughter.
"They are probably just roaming the halls. You know how much Jax loves to play. He must be hiding again in your secret compartments, making it hard for his father to find him." Julianne explained the absence of the two.
It was the difference between a son compared to a daughter. Boys tend to have too much energy to expend, unlike girls. That was her opinion, having Jax as an example.
"Well, I better help my friend find Jax." Laurence excused himself after giving his wife and daughter another set of kisses.
He left exploring the hallways and rooms, searching for the cute, adventurous little boy. He was probably roaming in his secret passageways.
After several hours, the party had concluded. The guests started to leave and their friends. Both Laurence and Rae felt that the party was a great success. Everybody from their family and friends loved Gavrielle.
"It is nice to see you again. I hope that we can see each other more often. Now that we decided to move a little closer here." Julianne told her friend.
"That would be perfect. Our kids can become good friends." Rae also felt excited.
Soon, her best friend and family would be moving closer to her. They could finally do many things together, like shopping, dinners, or even visiting salons. She had missed their younger days.
Her husband, Simon, was offered the position of Head of Gynecology in their hospital, and he planned to accept it.
"Then, it is settled. We can now talk about the arrangement between our children." Julianne once again teased her friend, and they both ended up laughing.
"I think we better go home. We still have a long journey. Soon, we can stay a bit later once we build our new house." Simon also expressed his wish to move at the earliest time possible.
"We have to leave because Jax finally lost his powers." Julianne held on to his sleepy son, who seemed exhausted from running and playing all night.
"Soon, my friend," Rae said as her husband also seconded. "I can't wait."
Unknown to Rae, chaos was already brewing on the other side of the city. But Laurence and Simon were fully aware of the tragedy that happened.
As they celebrated the coming of a new life, another family mourned a tragedy, the loss of two important people in their lives.