Chapter 817


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    The caller ID showed "Mr. Martin".


    It seemed the phone had been damaged. There was no sound, no vibration. It would''ve been easy to miss if the screen hadn''t lit up.


    Skr pondered if that Mr. Martin was Edwin. She couldn''t figure out what sort of entanglement Jenny and Edwin had.


    As she pondered this, Joe returned. He nced at the unconscious Jenny and said to Skr, "We can leave now."


    "Someone called her," Skr said, pointing to the phone on the bedside table.


    Joe nced over just as Edwin called again.


    Through the cracked screen, the words "Mr. Martin" were clearly visible.


    Joe''s expression darkened as he looked at the phone call. His eyes narrowed, turning cold as he nced sharply at Jenny.


    Skr didn''t say anything else. Joe didn''t either, and they left the ward together.


    When they got into the elevator, they unexpectedly ran into Vera.


    Vera stood inside. Her face was pale and devoid of its usual color, with no makeup on. She didn''t look as striking or confident as she usually did. When she saw Joe and Skr, her usuallyposed expression suddenly stiffened.


    "You two..."


    If Skr hadn''t been there, she might have thought Joe hade specifically to see her. But with Skr there, she knew that wasn''t the case. Joe''s gaze was dark as he looked at Vera. "How''s your family?" he asked.


    Vera''s eyes turned slightly red. "They''re not doing well. I was just heading downstairs to check on them."


    Whenever Joe spoke to others, his tone was always indifferent, as if there was a deep sense of distance between him and everyone else. Vera had never thought much of it before.


    But now, with Skr standing


    silently beside them, it felt like a thorn pricking at her. Vera couldn''t help but wonder if Joe was just as distant with her when they were alone.


    Skr noticed Vera ncing at her from time to time. So she met her gaze directly.


    "She is... Joe, aren''t you going to introduce her?" Vera pursed her lips tightly.


    Skr''s calmposure made her uneasy. It was a good moment to make Skr understand her ce. She was merely a mistress bought with money for amusement.


    Skr hadn''t expected Vera to put on this act again. She looked directly at Joe, ready to let him decide how to introduce her.


    Joe''s dark eyes held a mysterious depth. His expression was unreadable. He simply said, "My wife."


    Skr was stunned.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Vera''s expression twisted as if she had just heard something that was both unbelievable and unbearable. "What did you just say she was?"


    She thought she must have misheard. Skr was just a convenient mistress, someone who could be called upon and dismissed at will. Vera didn''t believe Skr was Joe''s wife. They shared several mutual friends, and no one had ever mentioned that Joe was married.


    The elevator doors opened just then, and Joe''s voice turned slightly stern. "I''m going to visit Mr. Ruell Senior."


    Vera followed them out of the elevator, her steps heavy. Her face was even paler than before, and she cast lingering nces at both Joe and Skr.


    They soon reached Denton''s ward. Skr didn''t go in with them. She took a seat on a bench in the hallway to wait.


    Vera went into the ward and was out again within two minutes. She walked straight over to Skr, staring at her intently.


    "What exactly is your rtionship with Joe? The way he introduced you just now, I know he''s trying to get under my skin, to make me jealous. Am I right?"


    Her hands were clenched tightly, trying hard to keep her emotions under control.