《Boss's Sweet Secretary》 Chapter 1: Let Me Break You In Chapter 1: Let Me Break You In "Ouch, it hurts¡ª" Jennifer cried out in pain as he entered her without any forey. Her plead was useless. This was the fifth time tonight. Hans Miller, the man who was sleeping beside her must have woken up at some point. His cold fingers were running up and down her body as if he was deliberately teasing her. Within seconds, he turned towards her and prated her. As he thrusted in and out of her, the pain dissipated. Instead, she had started to enjoy it. Jennifer tightly clenched the beddings underneath her, as she moaned out "mm-hmm". As the bed creaked in the quiet room, Hans started to move ferociously. Only after a long time did this ''exercise'' gradually stopped. She tried to grab the silk quilt to cover her bare body but Hans was one step ahead of her. He threw the quilt aside and pushed himself up with his arms around her. He stared at her face with intently, "Why, are you shy?" She couldn''t bring herself to meet his gaze. "Weren''t you enjoying it just now? Why are you pretending to be innocent?" Hans lowered his body and gradually approached her. His lips curved slightly as if he wanted to break down her defences. "Don''t forget, I told you I won''t be satisfied until I break you in properly. I won''t let you go until I am satisfied." He deliberately emphasized on the word "break you in". He was pleased to see the embarrassed look on her face. Looking at her blush and her slender fingers tightly holding the bed sheet, it put him in a good mood. After a while, he coldly sighed and got out of bed. He picked up a white bath towel, wrapped it around his waist, and walkedzily toward the bathroom. "Taking the medicine is not good for your health. Remember to dig it out. Don''t try to get pregnant and y the baby card with my grandmother, I won''t fall for this." After the bathroom door mmed to a close, the sound of running water from the bathroompletely obscured Hans''s voice. Jennifer opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling above her head. The flush on her face had faded little by little, and in its ce was a paleness. Heh... dig it out. She mocked herself as if she was used to his tone. Yeah, he hated her to his core. He would never leave that thing in her body and let her be pregnant with his child. ... When Jennifer woke up again, it was already thete morning, and his side of the bed was cold. She dragged her aching body and cleaned up a little. She put up her messy hair and put on a royal blue dress. She also put on a little powder on her bruised neck to cover up the love bites. Downstairs, several servants stood around the dining table, ready to serve. Hans slumped down on the chair at the head of the table. The way he was using the fork and knife had an air of elegance. Noticing her standing at the stairs, he paused for a second and said casually, "Grandma called me just ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. now and asked me to take you back to the family house on Saturday." Then, he cut a small piece of steak and put it into his mouth. "Back to... the family house?" Jennifer was a little hesitant. She slowly walked down thest step, confliction was written all over her face. "Does grandma have something important to say?" Otherwise, why would she ask them to go back for no reason? Her words grated on his ears, and his eyes groomed without him realizing. "nk", the knife and fork hit the bowl with a sharp noise. Chapter 2 the Reason You Are in My Bed Chapter 2 the Reason You Are in My Bed "Something important?" Hans curved his lips up into a nonchnt smile. "What important things are you expecting grandma to say, huh?" His vague smirk gave Jennifer goosebumps. She widened her eyes as she watched him get up from the chair, pick up the suit jacket, and inch closer to her. Even after all these years, one thing she could not deny was that she was afraid of Hans. Very, very Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. afraid. His unpredictable character and evil behavior had always frightened her. She was afraid of him, whether it was on the bed or off the bed. Right now, Hans was less than half a meter away from her, and his narrowed eyes spelt danger. She wanted to take a step back, but the stair railing was in her way. She had nowhere to go. "If I''m not mistaken, the important thing you are hoping for is for grandma to announce our wedding, right?" Hans finally stopped as he looked into her eyes, she was stunned. They were standing so close, their bodies were touching each other. Hans, standing at 185cm, was towering over her petite figure. The room was silent and you could cut the tension with a knife. "I..." Jennifer widened her eyes and shook her head. "I didn''t..." "Don''t deny it, don''t pretend to be innocent in front of me. Jennifer Hunter, do you think I don''t know what you''re thinking?" His thick and hoarse voice was filled with obvious sarcasm, "You want to climb into my bed, get pregnant, and make me marry you so you can be Mrs. Miller. Just so you could hide your shame as an illegitimate daughter." He spoke slowly and enunciated every single word clearly. Jennifer''s face went pale. Although she was extremely humiliated, she still didn''t want to show it. She struggled to defend herself. "It''s not what you think. It was just an ident..." "ident?" Hans seemed to be amused by that word, but his tone was cold as ice. "You mean, it was all an ident that you slept in my bed and somehow grandma saw it?" Jennifer''s face reddened. Just as she was about to fall, Hans dragged her by her wrist. He used his body to press her against the stair railing. He stared at her face coldly. "Or do you really think that you can marry me as long as you have grandma on your side?" "No, no..." Jennifer''s face went pale. "You ..." Just as Hans parted his thin lips slightly, the main doors of the vi flew open. Dressed in a suit and tie, James came in respectfully and stood beside him. "Mr. Hans, the car is ready. You can go to the The tension in the room was cold and suffocating. "Okay." Hans said hoarsely, but his eyes never left Jennifer''s face. James took a peek at the two of them standing so close together. He knowingly lowered his head and stood orderly, waiting for Hans. "Hans..." Jennifer whispered as her lips paled. Hearing this, Hans shuddered. A myriad of emotions shed through his eyes. However, he restrained himself before long. He stared at the beautiful face in front of him and chuckled. "Do you know why I acquiesced in Grandma''s decision and let you live here?" Jennifer was puzzled. Looking at her confusion, Hans sneered and said slowly, "I''m afraid no man would ever refuse a free ''sleeping'' partner." Chapter 3 Not Even His Fianc茅e Chapter 3 Not Even His Fianc¨¦e He looked at her stiff manner half-jokingly, then loosened his grip on her slender wrist. He took out a white handkerchief from his trouser pocket in disgust and wiped his hands with it. He threw the handkerchief at James after he wiped his hands and hurried out, passing by her nonchntly. "I''m leaving, Secretary Jennifer." Jennifer only realized that Hans was leaving as his sneers came from the direction of the door. He put his hands in his pockets, and in his well-tailored pants, he walked at his own pace with grace. She could hear hisughter were mixed with a hint of coldness. "It''s almost time for work. If you''rete, you''ll be punished!" James gave her a nk look. He wanted to say something but he stopped himself before he turned around and quickly caught up with Hans. Jennifer was the only one left in the big vi, except for the servants who were looking at each other. "Do you know why I acquiesced in grandma''s decision and let you live here?" "Because no man would ever refuse a free ''sleeping partner''." She felt like she was in a trance and she kept hearing his words from just now. Her body went limp and she held onto the railings behind her. She felt a chill on her back. It turned out that she was just a ''sleeping'' partner to him. He only wanted to sleep with her, but he never intended to marry her. So that was it... "Mrs. Miller, are you alright?" A young maid came forward to support her. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. She wanted to shake her head and say "I''m fine", but the words were stuck in her throat. At this moment, she heard another maid say mockingly, "What do you mean, Mrs. Miller? Mr. Hans hasn''t acknowledged her identity yet! What''s the use of Mrs. Miller''s tacit approval? Mr. Hans didn''t agree to the wedding, technically she''s not even his fiancee!" Her voice was soft, but it sounded like an exploding bomb in the quiet hall, ringing in everyone''s ears. "That''s right. At most, she''s a woman who has been in Mr. Hans''s bed. However, Mr. Hans has slept with so many women, she''s just one of them." "She might even be the least favoured." Thinking of how Mr. Hans treated this woman, the servants became bold. They started gossiping happily with each other. Listening to these mocks and sarcasm, Jennifer''s face soured. She forced herself to suppress the grievances and forced a smile. Maybe this was Hans''s revenge for her. His hatred for her mightst for the rest of his life. ... Jennifer''s workce was originally not in Joy Group, but she couldn''t turn down the request of Mrs. Miller, so she was forced to work alongside Hans. Therefore, Hans was correct in calling her "Secretary Jennifer". The Joy Group was the hard work of many generation of the Miller''s family, and it had been passed down from generation to generation. Naturally, now it belonged to Hans. It took him seven years to turn it into an entertainment empire. Hispany was formidable in the entertainment industry, with nearly half of the well-known actresses under hispany. For example, Maggie rkson who was rumoured to have an affair with one of the film star a while ago, and also Cindy Lopez, the host on the TR live broadcast tform. "Secretary Jennifer, here is a document that you need to send to every department. There is also a report. After the review, you need to send it to the president''s office for his signature. The report is very important. Don''t lose it." Miya, who had a pair of slender legs, left a stack of blue files and then left. Jennifer lifted her hand from the mouse, opened the document, and looked at it again. Then she remembered the words "President''s Office", and she was starting to have a headache. No one in thepany knew about her secret affair with Hans, nor the rtionship between them. But if she had to pretend that nothing had happened when she faced Hans, she would feel abashed. Also, she would feel very weak. Chapter 4: an Old Photo Chapter 4: an Old Photo "Knock, knock, knock¡ª" She gathered her courage and stood in front of the president''s office on the 17th floor, raising her hand. A dead silence. "Knock, knock, knock¡ª" She knocked again. Still, no one answered. Jennifer took a deep breath. Just as she was ready to knock on the door for the third time, someone popped out from the office and kindly told her, "Secretary Jennifer, the senior management are having a meeting, and Mr. Hans just went to the conference room. I don''t think he will be back anytime soon. If you have any documents, just leave them on his table." She was taken aback, but looking around, she could see that there are less people in the office. They probably all went to the meeting. "Okay, thank you." She smiled and thanked the man. She then pushed open the door. This was not the first time Jennifer had been here, but every time she came in, she was always impressed by the clean and tidy office in front of her. Hans was a bit of a neat freak. So every time they shared a bed, there would be several servants to wipe down her body and even shave her body hair. Just like him, Hans''s office was clean and bright, without any mess. Putting the document on the sandalwood desk, Jennifer was ready to leave when the corner of picture poking out of the drawer caught her attention. Her curiosity got the better of her and she pulled out the photo. It was an old, discoloured photo. There were traces of wear and tear on the edge of the photo. It seemed that the owner often fiddled with it with his finger. Jennifer widened her eyes in disbelief when she had a good look at the person in the photo. The woman wearing a school skirt, with her hair tied up in braids, and a faint smile on her face was none other than herself! This was a photo of her when she was a freshman in university! Why did Hans have this photo? Jennifer was puzzled as she hold the photo tightly. She did not put the photo back to its original ce. Instead, she was clenching it when a deep, gloomy voice came from behind her¡ª "What are you doing?" Jennifer''s hand, which was holding the photo, tightened again. She turned around in a panic and instinctively hide her hand and the picture behind her. She forced a smile on her pretty face and said, "You... finished the meeting?" However, she couldn''t help but feel anxious and uneasy. "I... I am here to deliver a document to you. Since you are not around, I was just going to leave it here ..." From N?velDrama.Org. She stammered, "Now that I have given you... the file, I''ll just..." "Can I go now?" Jennifer wondered. Hans did not speak. He had his suit in his arm and he was wearing a simple white shirt. He looked like a dreadful madman with his dark cold eyes, pale lips, and almost no expression on his face. Jennifer felt the stress and pressure as Hans stared at her with his eyes narrowed. His slender figure was standing at the door, and he noticed she was imperceptibly trying to hide something just now. Staring at her arm hiding behind her back, he slowly walked toward her. "What is in your hand?" His hoarse voice sounded a little yful. Jennifer took a swallow. As Hans approached her, she slowly stepped back. The palm of her hand holding the photo was covered with sweat. "Nothing." She shook her head nervously. Of course Hans didn''t believe her. "Heh", Hans tilted his head. Jennifer quickly moved to avoid him. Looking at her, Hans frowned. He didn''t give her any chance to react before he swiftly took a step forward and pressed his chest against her. She had nowhere to move and was cornered to the side of the table. He reached his arm out behind her. As she felt a chill in her palm, the photo was already in Hans''s slender fingers. He even waved it in front of her as if showing off. Chapter 5: The Torned Photo Chapter 5: The Torned Photo Jennifer was toote when she realised it and tried to take the photo back. Hans was 185cm tall and she can barely reached for his nose even in high heels. He managed to dodge her even when she tiptoed. Looking at her blushing face, Hans curled his thin lips into a cold smile and said, "Why are you so anxious? Did you steal some secret information from me when I''m not here and try to sell it to your partners?" In recent years, the Miller''s family had made plenty of rivals. There were manypanies that would want to destroy Joy Group. However, Jennifer would never expect that Hans would actually suspect her as a corporate spy. Even though she was used to his meanments, she could not help but feel disheartened at this moment. "Give it back to me!" She was nervous and reached for the photo. "What if I say no?" He looked at her jumping up and down with interest. It was as if he was very interested in their interaction. Her face was flushed red and kind of seductive. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only His expressionless face seemed to have a little emotions. Then, he lowered his head and looked at the prize he had seized from her. Jennifer knew it was toote to take it back, so she stopped grabbing the photo, and started to exin instead, "I... I saw it by ident, not..." Time stopped. When Hans saw the person in the photo clearly, the smile on his face slowly froze. Instead, his demeanour turned cold. The woman with an oval-shaped face in the photo looked gentle and charming. She was so girlish and innocent, like a newly bloomed flower. That was his most cherished memory. That was until he found out about the truth. From then on, his illusion waspletely shattered. "This photo was mine anyway..." Noticing the gloomy expression on Hans''s face, Jennifer''s heart was in turmoil. She thought that she had angered him by stealing. She faintly asked with her pale lips, "Why do you have it here?" Her voice was getting lower and lower and she felt uneasy. Hans looked terrifying. "I... If you want it, you can keep it." She generously offered him. She only hoped that he would stop his cold expression. She could freeze to death in this office. "Oh..." After a long time, Hans''s thin lips finally moved as if he had just came to his senses. Hans clenched the photo in his fist and looked up at her. "Don''t tell me you think I''m fond of this photo?" Jennifer was stunned. She turned to his raised hand and she widened her eyes in surprise. "What?" She didn''t seem to understand him. The next moment, a ripping sound came out of nowhere, breaking the silence of the room. The photo was suddenly torn in half and Hans held it in his hands. He squeezed the torned photo in his bony fingers and crushed it. His sudden actionpletely stunned Jennifer. "You ¡ª " She was at a loss for words at that moment. "If I ever give you any fake hope, I will crush it right now." Hans sneered. He stepped forward and pinched her chin with his cold fingers, and whispered, "Jennifer, do you know why I keep the photo?" His cold eyes and the wild charm on his face formed an extreme contrast. Every word seemed to be squeezed out from his thin lips. "Because its existence is a constant reminder for me that the innocence on your face is just an act!" Chapter 6: Jackson Davis鈥檚 Concert Chapter 6: Jackson Davis¡¯s Concert He squeezed her face harder until it was distorted. Jennifer felt pain in her bones and she hissed in pain, causing Hans to quiver. "Get out." He didn''t look at her. Instead, he frowned impatiently, loosened his grip on her cheeks, and ordered her to leave. Jennifer almost stumbled and fell to the ground. She grabbed hold of the edge of the table just in time to bnce herself. She was stunned and her mind was buzzing. "Alright." Looking at the torn photo on the ground, she felt a sting in her eyes. A wave of sorrow and heartache welled up, but she forced herself not to cry. After forcing a smile, she lowered her eyes and started to leave, carefully avoiding the debris on the ground. She closed the door behind her as she left the office. In the office, Hans stood still. He stared at the photos on the floor and his throat trembled. After a while, he slowly squatted down and picked up the torn photos one by one. He put together the photos again by memory. The girl in the photo still smiled brightly despite the tears on the photo. Fondling the photo in his calloused hand, Hans had a cold expression on his face, but there was warmth in his eyes. ... Jennifer returned to her seat, her eyes full of tears and fatigue. Rose, her colleague and close friend, poked her arm. "Jennifer? What''s wrong? You look sad. Did Mr. Hans scold you just now?" Jennifer shook her head and forced a smile. "I''m fine." She was upset by his horrible attitude and behaviour, but he had his reasons. After all, she only had herself to me for doing something so unforgivable. "Don''t lie to me. If everything is okay then why are you crying?" Rose did not believe Jennifer, but in order to coax Jennifer, she said, "By the way, I heard that there will be a Jackson Davis concert at the From N?velDrama.Org. Youth Square on Saturday. I got my hands on two tickets. You shoulde with me!" Rose''s eyes sparkled and she looked at Jennifer expectantly. Saturday... Jennifer paused for a moment before she suddenly remembered that Hans would take her back to the family house on Saturday... At this delicate moment, she did not dare nor want to disobey him. Moreover, she had indeed not visited his grandmother for a long time. "No, Rose, go by yourself. I have something on Saturday, I can''t make it." She rejected politely. "Hey, what is so important?" Rose chattered on and even came closer to her and whispered, "This is Jackson Davis! His concert ticket is hard toe by! Plus, the concert is at night, so it won''t affect your other n! Just do what you need to in the afternoon and you can apany me to the concert in the evening, okay?" Jennifer felt that Jackson Davis''s name was very familiar, but she couldn''t remember where she had heard this name before. "Rose..." Jennifer said resignedly. "Please! I don''t care, it''s settled! See you on Saturday!" Rose smiled and gestured to her then slipped away on her chair, leaving Jennifer speechless. Saturday... Fine, Hans should be taking her back to his family house at around noon. She would chat with his grandmother for a while in the afternoon, and she should be free to go to the concert. She just hoped that there would be no conflict between the two. Chapter 7: I Should Have Put Up My Defence Chapter 7: I Should Have Put Up My Defence Saturday arrived. Jennifer slept in, since it was a holiday and she didn''t have to go to work. When she woke up, it was almost noon. The servant was knocking on her door. She responded in a daze, put on her clothes, and opened the door, revealing a timid face on the other side of the door. "Miss Jennifer, Mr. Hans is at the door. He said that he wouldn''te in and asked you to get ready faster..." The girl said fearfully, she didn''t even dare to look directly at Jennifer. She slowly added, "Mr. Hans said that he didn''t like to wait and he only gave you five minutes... Otherwise..." The servant paused for a moment before sneaking a nce at her. "You''ll have to bear the consequences yourself." Had to bear the consequences herself. Jennifer had a faint idea what he meant by consequences. However, five minutes... it was not enough for her to get ready. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Jennifer was no longer sleepy . It had been five days since Hans tore apart that photo. She had not seen him at all this whole time. He never returned to this vi. Today, he was probably forced by the old Mrs. Miller toe and pick her up. Due to the time constraint, Jennifer hurried up and randomly picked out a V-necked shirt from the wardrobe and matched it with a pair of well-fitting denim jeans. She wore her long ck hair down and took her purse before she went downstairs. The shoes at the entrance were arranged neatly. She put on a pair of casual white ts and opened the front door of the vi. A gust of cold wind greeted her. The weather had cooled down. Jennifer crossed her arms over her chest and trembled. She wanted to go upstairs and put on a coat, but the ck Maserati parked outside the vi was too hard to ignore. The car window rolled down, revealing the angr side profile of Hans, and he was clearly annoyed. Jennifer gritted her teeth and decided against going upstairs. She quickly walked toward the ck car. Jennifer got in the car and closed the door. She was fastening her seat belt when she looked up and saw Hans staring at her without blinking. "Why did she dress like this on such a cold day?" He thought to himself "Won''t you be cold?" He questioned her in a hoarse voice. Under Hans''s gaze, Jennifer had goosebumps all over her body and her back was covered with cold sweat. "It''s... it''s okay. What... what''s wrong?" Looking at her innocent eyes, Hans stared for a while. Suddenly, a curious smile appeared on his lips. He leaned close to her face and said in a teasing tone, "It''s nice like this, you wearing so little." "... " There was a bit of hostility in his tone that made Jennifer shudder. She clenched her fingers into a fist. She knew very well that he was attacking her prudence and pride as a woman deliberately. "We, we should go... grandma should be waiting for us." Jennifer stammered and changed the subject, afraid to meet his gaze. Hans looked at her coldly and then nced at her flushed cheeks. Little by little, he was breaking down her defences. She held her breath nervously, not wanting to make a sound. However, he seemed to be enjoying this feeling. It was as if he would only feel better if he tormented her. "Jennifer, do you know that you deserved all of these. Perhaps, I should have been wary of you from the moment you entered the Miller''s family. At least, I should have been on guard." Hans pondered. Chapter 8: Old Mrs. Miller Chapter 8: Old Mrs. Miller Hans snorted and sat up straight again. He started the engine, stepped on the gas pedal, and sped away. The inertia threw Jennifer forward forcefully. She grabbed the armrest hastily and chafed her hand. However, her palm was far less painful than what she felt in her heart. Half an hourter, the car stopped outside a three-story house halfway up the mountain. The Miller family house was originally an old mansion from the Rivera era. Justst year, Hans spent good money to rebuild it inside and out. Now the mansion had a brand new look. There was a secluded path outside with flowers nted on both sides. Jennifer followed behind Hans, passing through the cobblestone path to the main house. Before they got close, a servant came out to greet them. "Mr. Miller, Miss Miller, you guys are finally here. Mrs. Miller has been waiting for you!" Jennifer was fifteen years old when she was weed into Miller''s family. Although she had no blood rtion with the Miller''s family, she was like a daughter to the old Mrs. Miller. She almost changed her family name to Miller. For the older servants, she was Miss Miller to them. Moreover, maybe Jennifer would be the young Mrs. Miller soon. "Aunt Mary! I miss you so much!" Seeing the old servant, Jennifer immediately ran over and hugged her like a bird out of her cage. Tears were filling her eyes. "Aunt Mary misses you too! My dear, ever since you left the family house to live with young Mr. Miller, I have been thinking about you all the time." Caressing Jennifer''s back, the elder woman looked at Hans, who was standing not far away with his suit in his arms. There was a coldness behind his almond-shaped eyes as if he had a mint in his mouth. He stood there with a faint smile, looking cold and distant. Jennifer was the best at faking it, no one else even came close to her. Fortunately, he hadpletely seen through her and would no longer be deceived by her innocent look again! "Anyway, I suppose Mr. Miller will not treat you badly." Aunt Mary whispered, her eyes darting between Hans and Jennifer. She probed, "Right?" Jennifer''s smile paused for a moment. Just then, Hans walked behind her, put his hands into his pockets, and said to the servant in a joking tone. "Aunt Mary, your partiality is too obvious. Look at her chubby and healthyplexion, does it look like I mistreated her ?" He nced at her leisurely. "Not only did I not mistreat her, but I even gave her special treatment" He deliberately emphasised the word ''special''. Jennifer was still processing the "chubby and healthyplexion" part when she was embarrassed by Hans''s following remark. Mary noticed the imperceptible changes in their facial expressions. Sheughed awkwardly to lighten the mood. "That''s good! That''s good! Aunt Mary is still looking forward to a chubby baby boy from the two of you soon!" "..." Jennifer''s face turned pale again. She subconsciously looked up at Hans who was taller than her. She wanted to get pregnant, but Hans never gave her a chance. Hearing this, Hans kept his smile and did not have much of a reaction, but his tone grew cold. "We will... try harder!" At the same time, a joyful, elderly voice suddenly came from the inside of the house. "Jennifer? Is Jennifer here? You are finally back! Come in quick and let me take a good look at you!" ... As soon as Jennifer entered the house, she saw Mrs. Miller sitting in the centre of the hall, wearing a beautiful dress with floral patterns. Time and tide did not leave any wrinkles on her face. Instead, it was fair and delicate. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "Grandma!" Chapter 9: Plan the Wedding Soon Chapter 9: n the Wedding Soon "Come here,e sit beside me and let me have a good look at you!" Mrs. Miller gestured her toe to her side. She moved a little to make space for Jennifer to sit beside her. "Why did you lose weight?" Looking at her face thoroughly, Mrs. Miller feigned anger and directed it towards Hans who just walked in the door, "Be honest with me, did you bully Jennifer?" Her words made it seem like Jennifer was her real granddaughter. Hans walked into the housezily, with a smile on his lips. "Grandma, you are so biased. Should I do a DNA test tomorrow to see if I was the one adopted by the Miller''s family?" He said it unthinkingly, but it sounded harsh to Jennifer. How could Hans be the adopted one the Miller''s family? She was obviously the one... A chill ran down her spine. Her face stiffened and she lowered her head. Mrs. Miller quickly resolved the awkwardness. "You brat! What nonsense are you spouting!" Mrs. Miller grabbed her hand again and said, "Jennifer, tell me, did Hans bully you? If he doesn''t treat you well you can tell me, I will bring you justice!" Jennifer dared not tell on Hans in front of him. She was afraid that he would think of new ways to torment her again after they returned to the vi. "No, grandma," she whispered. Hans raised his eyebrows at her hesitant look. He smirked, fully aware of what Jennifer was secretly thinking. "She is going to use grandma''s affection for her and strong-armed her way into marrying me, heh... "Jennifer, that''s quite a n." Hans thought. The old Mrs. Miller was displeased at Hansckadaisical attitude. Her grandson was good in every aspect, but he was a Casanova! Day after day she watched as Hans was rumoured to date a different actress on the entertainment channel. It cannot go on like this! "It''s okay, dear! I''ve already asked Aunt Mary to choose a date in three months time. I want you and Hans to get married as soon as possible!" Mrs. Miller was so ted about the prospect of the wedding that she didn''t notice the silence in the room as she spoke. The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Besides the silence, there was also a cold and sombre airing from Hans. Aunt Mary, who had been standing on the side, added timely, "Isn''t it so! Mrs. Miller even hired a wedding nner to settle on a date!" Jennifer didn''t expect Mrs. Miller would tell Hans about this point-nk. She nced at Hans''s face from the corner of her eye. His eyes were darkened and gloomy. There was a wicked smile on his lips. "Oh? Really?" He raised his eyes and nced at Jennifer. There was not a trace of anger on his face. He repeated Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. the words as if to savour it, "settled, on, a, good, date." Hans snorted, nodded his head with ease and said, "That''s good. Thank you for nning it, grandma." Jennifer thought that Hans had consented to this wedding, and let out a sigh of relief. However, as soon as he said that, he took a big step and sat down on the sofa casually. He shot a nce at Jennifer, admiring her attempt to remain calm. He found it entertaining. He pretended to be distressed and said to Mrs. Miller, "But grandma, you know me well. I''ve never been able to control the lower part of my body. If you hand over your precious Jennifer to me, I''m afraid I won''t be a good husband to her!" Chapter 10: All Bark and No Bite Chapter 10: All Bark and No Bite Jennifer clenched her fingers tightly until they turned pale, and she subconsciously gritted her white teeth. She knew that Hans would not let her go so easily, let alone agree to this marriage without putting up a fight. Mrs. Miller rolled her eyes at Hans and said, "You brat! What are you talking about? What do you mean you can''t be a good husband for Jennifer? Let me tell you, you are lucky that Jennifer is willing to marry you. You better say yes while I''m still being nice to you" Mrs. Miller turned to Jennifer and said with a smile, "My dear, don''t mind him! I know him best. He is all bark and no bite!" As if she was sharing a big secret, she sneaked up to Jennifer and whispered into her ears, "Come on, get yourself pregnant with a baby Miller, then he can''t say no!" Although it was a whisper, Hans was sitting not far from his grandmother, so he might had heard it. Jennifer awkwardly stopped Mrs. Miller''s topic and said in a soft voice, "Grandma, we really don''t have to rush it." She nced at Hans''s facial expression, but he was just casually sitting there with his long legs crossed and his leather shoes shining. It was as if he didn''t hear anything. He would probably pretend not to hear it even if he did. "Grandma, actually I..." Jennifer struggled to speak up. She was too slow. "Grandma!" He threw the cigarette down and put it out with his leather shoes. Then he stood up, looked past Jennifer with his deep eyes, andnded his gaze on Mrs. Miller. "Let''s not talk about this nonsense. Is there any food to eat? I''m hungry!" And thus the topic came to a sudden end. The words Jennifer wanted to say were stuck in her throat, she was stunned. Mrs. Miller was speechless, but she smiled dotingly. "You brat! Since I asked you and Jennifer toe back, would I let you starve? There was food already prepared! Let''s go to the dining hall and have a nice meal!" She said to Jennifer, "my dear,e and hold onto me!" Jennifer was in a daze. There was a pang of fear as she stood up. "Alright." She held Mrs. Miller''s arm, and the second she touched her, Mrs. Miller frowned and looked at her with worry. "Why is your hand so cold?" Hans stopped walking and turned his gaze to her. Jennifer''s face stiffened and she slowly withdrew her hand. "Maybe... maybe because it''s cold and I forgot to put on extrayers..." "How can you be so forgetful? What if you catch a cold? I''ll ask Aunt Mary to get you a coat when I see her. The cold is not good for a woman trying to get pregnant!" Mrs. Miller was still rambling on as she walked slowly along the long corridor with her walking stick, R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only with the servants greeting her along the way. Jennifer only heard a few words. She did notice Hans''s eyes were cold as ice. He looked her up and down as if he was admiring an object. If looks could kill, she would be dead any moment now. The sneer on his lips pained her even more. Since when did her rtionship with Hans be like this? ... The meal took more than half an hour. After the meal, Jennifer apanied Mrs. Miller for a walk in the garden and she learned flower arrangements from her. By the time they were in Hans car, it was already four o''clock in the afternoon. Chapter 11: No One Else in His Heart Chapter 11: No One Else in His Heart Through the car window, Mrs. Miller reluctantly said goodbye to them with the servants supporting her. She repeatedly reminded Hans, "Don''t ever bully Jennifer or you will have to answer to me!" Hans was looking dashing at the driver''s seat with his slender arms holding the steering wheel. "Alright, grandma. If there''s nothing else, we''ll leave now." "Okay, you guys can leave!" Mrs. Miller waved her hand. Jennifer sighed and said softly, "Goodbye, grandma." "My dear, don''t forget to send me a message after you get home!" Mrs. Miller reminded her worriedly. Jennifer made a sound as if she wanted to say something, but Hans already started the car. Under his uninhibited look, there was a trace of impatience. The car sped away and disappeared into the dark twilight. Mrs. Miller stood there and gazed as the car left. Aunt Mary nced at her, stepped forward, and asked softly, "Mrs. Miller, do you think Jennifer will truly be happy with Hans?" Mrs. Miller sighed. "I''ve watched Hans grow up. I know what he is thinking. I''m afraid that in this life, there is no one else in his heart except Jennifer." "Then why..." Aunt Mary was lost. "Why is he so..." So mean? Aunt Mary managed to stop herself frompleting her sentence. After all, she was just a servant, she shouldn''t ask too much. "This question... I''ve been thinking about it for a long time... Hans used to get along so well with her." Otherwise, she wouldn''t be trying to fix them up. Besides that, the other reason was that she really wanted to have a great-grandson soon. Mrs. Miller was deep in her thoughts. She turned to ask Aunt Mary, "Hans and Jennifer... when did they be like this?" Aunt Mary thought for a moment. "It seems that... since... Mr. and Mrs. Miller passed away in the car ident?" Hans''s father, Thomas Miller, had two wives in his whole life. The first one was Hans''s mother. The second one was Jennifer''s mother. The Mrs. Miller Aunt Mary was referring to was thetter. ... Inside the car, the two of them were silent. Jennifer looked out of the window at the scenery while Hans focused on driving. He lighted a cigarette with one hand, the expression on his face was unpredictable. The car was dead silent. "Ding¡ª" Suddenly, Jennifer got a notification on her phone. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. She opened it, it was a message from Rose. "Jennifer, don''t forget about Jackson Davis''s concert! I''ll be waiting for you at the south gate of the Youth Square." After turning her screen off, Jennifer quickly nced at Hans, and there was nothing unusual with his facial expression. She turned her head and said, "Ummm... I have ns with Rose tonight so I won''t go home first. Just drop me off at the south gate of the Youth Square. I''ll take a taxi back tonight." Hans exhaled a ring of smoke, and he sneered at her. "I heard there are many motels next to the Youth Square. Are you having an affair behind my back?" "..." Jennifer widened her eyes in disbelief, she did not expect Hans would say that. She was speechless, but at the same time, she was hurt. Then again, why would Hans care if she was having an affair? Could he be jealous? For the first time, she dared to make such a bold guess. ... Chapter 12: It鈥檚 Him, Jackson Davis Chapter 12: It¡¯s Him, Jackson Davis "I think it''s dirty..." "I think it''s dirty..." This voice repeated in Jennifer''s ear like a spell, and it crushed any hope Jennifer had, leaving her cold and defeated. "Stop the car!" She heard her voice trembling. However, Hans didn''t seem to hear her and continued driving. "Stop the car! I want to get off the car!" She repeated again, enunciating every word to prove that she was serious. Hans looked at her and smirked. Unexpectedly, he did not contradict her and he pulled the brake instead. "Squeak¡ª" A loud noise came from the friction between the tires and the ground. The car stopped at the intersection100 meters away from Youth Square. Jennifer looked down and anxiously opened the door, she fled from the car as if there was a ferocious animal chasing after her. "I want to see you at home before 10 o''clock in the evening," said Hans nonchntly as she closed the door. It sounded like an order. She tightened her hand on her handbag as she purposely mmed the door shut. Han''s handsome face was hiding behind the polished ss window. He rolled down the window a little and watched her cross the street. He flicked his cigarette butt gently before he put it out. The cigarette smoke obscured his beautiful eyes and the hint of amusement in them. On therge LED screen across the street, a female anchor was reading the news, "Earlier today, famous international pop sensation, Jackson Davis has arrived at the local airport. He was greeted by thousands of fans, causing amotion at the airport." The screen cut to the airport footage and it was chaotic. The airport was overflowed with people. Thousands of fans were chanting his name. Some even held up signs saying "Jackson" in their hands. At the centre of the crowd was a man with a charming face, thick eyebrows, a tall nose, and bright blue eyes. The agent and the bodyguards made way for him through the crowd. The man wearing the casual suit was waving to his fans as he walked out of the airport and into the SUV that was waiting for him. Hans was no stranger to the name, Jackson Davis, as he was really popr. But this face... The smile on Hans''s face froze when he saw Jackson''s face. His expression slowly turned gloomy. It was Jackson Davis. The female anchor continued, "And tonight is going to be a sleepless night too. The popr singer, Jackson Davis, will be holding a concert in the Youth Square. What will the results be? Let''s wait and see!" The Youth Square... Suddenly, Hans remembered Jennifer''s uneasy expression when she was talking and how impatient she got before she left the car. His eyes narrowed and his fingers, which were holding the steering wheel, gradually tightened until his veins were popping up. "Heh... Jennifer, no wonder you can''t wait..." Hans thought. ... Before Jennifer even arrived at the south gate of the Youth Square, she was almost lost in the crowd. The fiery passion from the fans seemed to have warmed up the cold night. She couldn''t help but wonder, "How popr is Jackson Davis? So many people are willing to brave the cold just to hear him sing?" Jennifer was not a big fan of celebrities. If she hadn''t been working in an entertainmentpany, she would not have been able to even name a celebrity. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. What''s more, Jackson jump-started his career overseas. She only heard that he was popr and knew nothing else about him. "Jennifer! Jennifer!" Seeing her from afar, Rose squeezed through the crowd with arge bucket of popcorn in her arm. She apologized to people with a bright smile on her face. "Excuse me, please make way for me!" Chapter 13 He Is My Celebrity Crush Chapter 13 He Is My Celebrity Crush Rose finally managed to squeeze her way to Jennifer. Rose held her arm and said, "You are just in time. Let''s go! I just got the tickets!" She said while shoving the popcorn into Jennifer''s arm. Jennifer was being dragged by Rose as they stumbled through the crowd. She almost fell several times. "Rose, slow down!" She pouted. "Was this Jackson person worth this?" "He is worth it!" Rose did not slow down and was dragging her all the way from the south square to their seats instead. There was a ruckus among the audience and Rose could hardly contain her excitement. "I can tell you that Jackson is my biggest celebrity crush since forever! I have waited for this moment for a long time!" Jennifer rolled her eyes at Rose in jest, but she didn''t say anything. The concert started at about seven o''clock. As dusk fell, the neon stage lights turned on, and a loud sound almost pierced her eardrums. "Hello, everyone. I''m Jackson Davis." A husky and charming voice came from above. From the stage elevator, a young man in a casual suit sauntered down with a microphone in his hand. "Ah! Jackson! Jackson! Jackson!" The crowd chanted. "We love you, Jackson!" His fan club screamed in an uproar. Jennifer was wondering why the voice seemed familiar when Rose grabbed her wrist. "My celebrity crush is here! My Prince Charming! I must ask him for his autographter!" It was hard to imagine this side of Rose, so dedicated and crazy over a man. With the spinning stage light, Jennifer stared at Rose''s blushing face with a little envy. Crazy... ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. She once had a wild and memorable time too. That was in high school before she entered the Miller''s family. "My first song today is called Dream Chaser. I believe everyone here had an unforgettable memory that will forever be buried deep in our hearts, like a secret." "I want to tell everyone here that if you don''t say your secret out loud, it will forever just be a secret. So I wrote this song, Dream Chaser, in hope that you will bravely chase after your dream, thank you!" His voice was maic and gentle, like the warm sun in the winter, warming up everyone. As Jackson''s voice grew faint, there was a burst of cheers, followed by a beautiful piano piece. His voice was really pleasant, extremely contagious with a hint of sadness. It was as if his voice could remind people of their past. "His voice is so good, I am so touched." Rose took out a tissue to wipe away her tears. Many people were singing along with Jackson. "Love is boundless, and hate is afar, rivers are flowing, girl, do you know what I mean?" Jennifer silently savoured the lyrics, her mind was wandering along with the song. Her youth suddenly came back to life in her mind. Deep in her memory, there was once a person whose voice was as beautiful as this. It was almost ten o''clock after the concert ended. Fans rushed to the stage asking for autographs. Rose was not one to be left behind. She dragged Jennifer into the crowd, rolled up her sleeves, and waved her bare arms. "I want it too! Jackson, sign here! Sign here!" Chapter 14: You Are Injured Chapter 14: You Are Injured Jennifer followed behind Rose and she wanted to withdraw her hand several times. "Rose, I want to go back..." Hans told her to be back by ten o''clock, which would be soon. She didn''t want to disobey his order and cause any more trouble. "Wait a minute, hold on!" Rose was excited that it was her turn to get the autograph soon! She would not give up so easily! Jennifer decided not to say anything. However, there were too many people asking for an autograph. People were squeezing her until she could hardly breathe. She didn''t know when did Rose let go of her hand and they were separated by the crowd. Jennifer wanted to get out of the crowd first so she tried to push her way out of the crowd. She didn''t know who elbowed her, but with her high heels, she lost bnce and was knocked to the ground. It happened so suddenly that no one knew how to react. Someone even stepped on her skinned arm. "Ouch!" That hurts! Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. The noisy crowd became even more chaotic. "Someone fell down!" Countless legs wandered in front of Jennifer. She struggled to get back up but someone identally pushed her and she fell back to the ground. The ruckus from the crowd reached all the way to Jackson''s. He stopped signing for a moment and looked at themotion in the distance calmly. "What is going on?" The fan who was waiting for his autograph said with a smile, "Don''t worry about it, Jackson. Could you sign my autograph first? I''ve been waiting for a long time!" Rose was right behind her and tried to push her arm over. "That''s right, Jackson, please sign mine too!" People behind them started to kick up a fuss. Jackson frowned. His tall figure was exceptionally conspicuous as he stood in the crowd. He pulled back and turned to speak to his agent softly. The agent stared at him in surprise. He was about to say no but Jackson already handed the pen to him. He pushed through the crowd and walked down the stage. The autography session after the concert was a perk for his fans. He didn''t want anyone to get hurt. Jackson''s actions instantly caused an uproar, more and more fans swarmed towards him. Seeing that the situation had gone awry, the agent quickly instructed the security. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and follow him!" The security guards forced the crowd to make way for Jackson. At the end of the dispersed crowd was Jennifer, who was still sitting on the ground, wincing at her wound. She was looking down at the wound on her arm. She didn''t even notice the atmosphere around her had changed. "Jennifer!" Rose turned around, and she recognized that it was Jennifer who fell to the ground! It was exactly her calling out Jennifer that made Jackson stop in his track. He stared at the woman in pain. Her long beautiful hair wrapped around her palm-sized face. Although the lights at night were not bright enough, he still felt a strong sense of familiarity. It was her! He was stunned for a second before he quickened his pace and darted towards her. "You are injured." A sudden warmth radiated through her injured wrist, apanied by a gentle, honey-like voice in her ears. Jennifer raised her head in a daze and her gaze was met by a pair of deep blue eyes. Chapter 15: Jennifer, Are You Blaming Me? Chapter 15: Jennifer, Are You ming Me? "You¡ª" Jennifer''s eyes widened in surprise. She had not expected that person would be¡ª "You can''t leave your wound like this, you need to bandage it." Jackson appeared much calmer than her. He was wearing a light blue shirt with his sleeves up. Before she could react, he had already picked her up gracefully. "Wow!" The fans present were shocked. The media seized the moment and took pictures immediately. Jackson had been in this industry for so long with no gossip before this. Now was a perfect opportunity! Jennifer was not used to being exposed to so many cameras. She was almost blinded by all the shing lights. The warmth emanating from his palm on her waist made her blush even more. She wanted to hide her face. "I''m fine, you should let me down." She had nowhere to put her arms, so she wrapped them around his neck. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. "Sorry, I can''t let you go yet." He hugged her without any intention of letting her go. He just strode forward along the opened path and walked back. "What the hell is going on?" His fans asked in unison. "This woman is so lucky, she managed to get Jackson''s attention just by falling down. F*ck, they even touched!" "If only I were the one who fell down!" People started gossiping and the media also swarmed forward. Rose stood still on her spot, stunned and dumbfounded. She looked down at her exposed arms, speechless. Weren''t Jennifer the luckiest girl in the world? She had been dreaming of getting an autograph from Jackson for years, and now Jennifer got a hug from him without even trying. ... The situation was getting out of control. Jackson''s agent, Mike, exasperatedly cursed, "Sh*t!" He quickened his pace and caught up with Jackson. "Do you know what you''re doing?" This was a national tour, many media were reporting on this concert. It was a live broadcast too! Jackson was clearly asking for trouble. "Mike, get the medical team over." Jackson was staring right ahead as if he didn''t hear anything Mike said. Mike couldn''t keep up with Jackson''s long strides. He was left behind, dumbfounded. "What? You want to call the medical team too?" He couldn''t help but wonder. He had worked with Jackson for so many years, but he had never seen him care about any woman like this before. Who exactly was this woman in his arms? After walking all the way to his lounge backstage, Jackson finally put Jennifer down on the sofa. Soon, two doctors in white coats rushed over and carefully disinfected and bandaged the wounds on Jennifer''s arm. Jackson stood by the side with worries written all over his face. "I told you I''m fine. It''s really not that serious," Jennifer said softly. She pulled down her sleeves after the doctors had bandaged her up. The two doctors read the room and didn''t ask any questions about the two of them. They briefed Jackson about the situation and left quietly after Jackson nodded. Jennifer wanted to get up from the sofa, but she was stopped by a long arm which pushed her back down. "Jennifer, it''s been so many years. Are you still ming me?" "Wh-what?" Jennifer looked at him puzzledly as if she didn''t understand. "Are you ming me for leaving without saying goodbye back then? Do you... still hate me?" His soulful eyes could make people fall in love with just one look. Jennifer averted her gaze and said sheepishly, "It''s been many years..." If he had not appeared in front of her today, perhaps the past would have been gone with the wind, She would have forgotten the excruciating pain she endured. Chapter 16: Jackson Sent Her Home Chapter 16: Jackson Sent Her Home "Jennifer, the reason I came back from abroad is actually..." He squatted down, bending his long legs, not caring about the differences between them. His voice was pleasant as ever, hoarse and emotional, just like when he was singing on stage. When their fingers touched, the coldness made Jennifer withdraw her hand back instinctively. She avoided his gaze and stood up in a panic. "It... It''s already veryte. I think I should go." "Jennifer..." The moment she passed by, Jackson grabbed her wrist and didn''t want to let her go. "You came to my concert, doesn''t it mean that there''s still something between us?" "I..." Jennifer was speechless for a moment. After some hesitation, she said slowly, "I didn''t know you are Jackson Davis." Indeed, Jackson Davis was not his real name. How could she had known that the boy from her wild and carefree teenage years was now a world- renowned singer? "So, if you had known earlier, would you have...e?" He asked her in a serious manner. Jennifer hesitated for a while and shook her head. "I don''t know..." Maybe, but she would havee as a friend. Nothing more. The night sky was getting darker outside the window, she dared not stay any longer. On one hand, she was afraid that Hans would be angry. On the other hand, she was afraid of gossips. Things were different now, the man in front of her was a superstar in the entertainment industry. If she got too close to him, they would surely be the talk of the town. "I really have to leave." Jennifer tried to get out of Jackson''s grip. However, he still stubbornly grabbed onto her hand and didn''t want to let go. After a long hesitation, Jackson''s opened his thick, red lips and said, "I''ll give you a ride." Jennifer frowned. She wanted to refuse, but he continued to say, "It''s not safe to take a taxi at night. I will be worried if you go home alone." She debated internally but she finally relented when she met his gaze. As night fell, there was almost no one on the street. The journey from the Youth Square to Hyde''s Manor took about 15 minutes. However, it felt like an eternity for Jennifer. She looked at her watch several times, and her watch moved slowly. She was anxious, but Jackson didn''t seem to be in a hurry, so she didn''t want to rush him. Half an hourter, the car finally drove past the North Gate of Hyde''s Manor. "You can just drop me off here," Jennifer said aloud. The vi was only a few steps away anyway. Jackson couldn''t help butugh. He slowly turned his steering wheel, tilted his head to look at her, and said, "Wow, now you wouldn''t even give me a chance to send you home?" Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. "I... no..." Jennifer wanted to exin, but she just didn''t know how to exin her rtionship with Hans. Besides, she was also worried that Hans would see them together. She didn''t want to take risks. Jackson seemed relieved. "I remember back then, I used to send you home every day after school." He was deep in his memory. "It has already been ten years..." That''s right. How many ten years did a person have in their life? "By the way, I remember that your family didn''t live here before. Did you guys move here?" Jackson remembered. Jennifer twisted her slender fingers and chose to lie. "Yes." Actually, her mother married into the Miller Family the same year he left. That was how she knew Hans. "Which building?" "Block A building 12-1." Chapter 17: Bumped Into by Hans Chapter 17: Bumped Into by Hans The car steadily stopped in front of the vi, and the dim street lights cast a lonely shadow on the car. In the dead of night, the whole neighbourhood was silent except for the gust of cold wind blowing past them. Jennifer got out of the car, followed by another figure opening the door and leaving the driver''s seat. "Jennifer." Jackson quickly caught up with Jennifer. Before she got up the stairs, he grabbed her wrist. "I have something to say to you..." "What?" He pulled her into his arms unexpectedly as she turned around, and she mmed into his warm embrace. Not used to such physical touch, Jennifer hurried to push him away, but Jackson stood still, his towering figurepletely shrouding her. "I came back for you¡ª" In the bedroom on the second floor of the luxurious vi, the lights were still on. A tall dark figure stood by the curtain and witnessed everything that was happening. The wine ss gradually cracked in the man''s clenched fingers. "Heh... Jennifer." There was a hint of yfulness in Hans''s low and hoarse voice, and a wicked look shed in his gloomy eyes. "Very well then." It seemed that he went too easy on her. ... In the vi, Jennifer was surrounded by darkness. "Jennifer, I came back for you¡ª" Jackson''s words were still ringing in her ears. "Back then, my parents insisted on sending me abroad to further my study. My mother even threatened me with suicide..." He paused, his maic voice carrying a tinge of sadness. "to stop me from seeing you again..." "But even after all these years, I had never forgotten you, not even for a moment." "Jennifer, give me another chance. Now I can protect you, I will not let anyone hurt you anymore!" His words were so touching and heart-wrenching. However, ten years had passed. They had both changed. Especially since her heart belonged to another person now. Even though that person had never cared about her. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. The time was beyond her curfew given by Hans. Jennifer was not sure if he was already home. She quietly took off her high heels and walked past the entryway barefooted, not wanting to disturb anyone in the vi. She fumbled for the light switch on the wall with her slender fingers, and then with a click, the whole living room lit up in an instant. "You still remember toe home?" Suddenly, a low and gloomy voice came from the sofa in the living room. The voice caught her by surprise. His tone was ferocious too, which made Jennifer tremble. She turned around. Sitting on the ck sofa was Hans in a white bathrobe, casually crossing his legs. He was smoking a cigar between his fingers. He looked natural, but it felt suffocating. There were a few maids that looked familiar to Jennifer standing next to the sofa with their heads down. No one dared to say anything right now, but people were staring at her with disgust and anger. Jennifer sensed that whatever happened next would definitely be unpleasant. Was Hans angry at her because she came backter than the time set by him? She stood barefoot on the cold floor, feeling cold and numb. She tried to exin to Hans, "Something happened during the concert, so there was a dy..." "Dy, huh..." His sarcastic remark interrupted her sentence. Hans crushed the cigarette butt in his hand into the crystal ashtray. He raised his delicate but angry face, his expression was unfathomable. "Using such ame excuse to deceive me, Jennifer, you are really something else!" His deep voice shook Jennifer to her core. Her widened eyes inadvertently revealed her nervousness. "Did Hans know something?" She thought. Even so, she had to force herself to calm down. She could not reveal anything to him. "I... I don''t know what you''re talking about." She wanted to turn away and go upstairs. "I''m tired, I''m going to take a bath first..." However, a stern and aggressive voice came from behind, "Stop¡ª" Jennifer instantly stopped and closed her eyes in desperation. She felt a strong ominous premonition. "Take off your clothes." He said coldly, without a trace of emotion, there was an authoritativeness in his The main hall was dead silent. Jennifer almost copsed to the ground with big shock. "No, don''t..." She turned around and shook her head. She pleaded with tears in her eyes. She nced at those maids who didn''t dare to look up and chose to be silent. He was actually asking her to take off her clothes in front of so many people! Was he just trying to humiliate her? "Why, do you need me to help you take off your clothes?" He raised his thick eyebrows. His long and narrow eyes were cold as ice. Chapter 18: Take Off Your Clothes Chapter 18: Take Off Your Clothes The white bathrobe was loosely worn on his lean body. The neckline was slightly opened, revealing his tanned skin and his obvious Adam''s apple. Perhaps because he was truly angry, the skin on his neck turned red. Jennifer stood still and did not move. She did not understand why he would humiliate her like this. As he got closer, her eyes were sore and painful. "I need a reason..." She thought to herself. Her eyes were sorrowful and her voice was trembling. Her fingers tightened in an attempt to resolve this awkward situation. Hans stood in front of her, leaned over and looked at her reluctance to admit defeat. He slowly caressed her face with his cold fingers and then bit by bit slid his hand to the button of her cor. His deep voice vibrated through her bones. "Jennifer, do I need a reason to f*ck you?" He exerted a little force in his hand, and "pop", several buttons popped open and fell to the ground. Jennifer''s face waspletely pale and there was no expression on it. She could feel the cold breeze on her limbs. Her naked body was full of goosebumps under his watchful eyes. Hans looked at her like he was looking at amodity. "Tsk... you''re still as sensitive as ever." Heughed all of a sudden. His long and slender fingers glided through her hair and grabbed the back of her head. He lifted her up, forcing her closer to him. When he spoke again, his gentle tone was frighteningly cold. "Tell me, are you this sensitive when you''re with your old lover?" From above, he was looking down at her helplessness. Jennifer''s nails dug into her flesh, she winced. She wanted to say something, but no words came out, as if her throat was blocked by something. Her eyes were filled with disbelief and shock. "How... how did you know that?" "How could..." Did Hans see Jackson sending her back exactly as she feared? R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Jennifer''s heart grew cold. "This is a misunderstanding, he and I..." "I''m not here for your excuses!" Hans''s eyes suddenly turned cold. He grabbed her by the shoulders fiercely, lifted her up, and threw her to the sofa. It was so forceful that his fingers bled. Chapter 19: Forced Into It Chapter 19: Forced Into It Her back hit the sofa and almost knocked the wind out of her. There was a loud buzz in Jennifer''s head as if she was about to faint. She almost didn''t see Hans making his way over. She only sobered up when he towered over her. Holding the torn cor of her shirt, she clenched her teeth and retreated to the corner of the sofa. From N?velDrama.Org. "You want me to do it myself?" Hans''s eyes were cold as ice. He reached out and grabbed her delicate ankle. She didn''t dare to move any more out of reflex. "Hans... please... I beg you..." She sobbed and looked at him pitifully, showing her survival instinct intermittently. Hans coldly looked past her cheeks stared into her eyes. She trembled and bit her lower lip. Although she was pained deep down, she dared not say a word. Hans always had the final say in this family. Sometimes he might listen to the old Mrs. Miller, but other than that, he was aplete dictator. His tendency to torment people was very obvious in the way he treated Jennifer. Her warm tears grew cold as they rolled down her cheeks and reached her chin, staggering on the verge of sttering on the floor. Hans looked at Jennifer in front of him. He looked at her helplessness as she begged for mercy. He watched as tears rolled down her cheeks and she shivered because she was too scared of the way he looked at her. Suddenly... he felt a little sympathetic towards her. She was once very confident and proud not that long ago, but now it felt like it had been a long time. Seeing the rare hesitation on Hans''s face, Jennifer quickly grabbed onto it like a life raft. She sobbed, "Hans... please, not here..." His pity on her disappeared when he heard Jennifer''s pleading, his heart hardened again. Hans violently pulled her closer by her ankle, almost dragging Jennifer from the sofa. She screamed as she lost her bnce and she fell on her back in front of him. Her legs wrapped around his waist as if she was seducing him. At a close distance, he leaned down. He pinched her chin hard and ignored the tears falling on his fingers. His voice was cold. "Say it again, what are you begging me for?" Jennifer''s face went pale. The friction between her back and the sofa twisted her face in pain. Plus, Hans was pressing her chin, which was even more painful if she opened her mouth. "Please... Please... at least not here." She knew that she was the one who willingly slept with him. She had lost all her pride so she didn''t me him for looking down on her and regarded her as receable. However, she believed that after a long time, Hans would finally understand that she was sincere and wasn''t trying to get anything from him. The only thing she wanted from him was his heart. Hans loosened his grip on her chin. The corner of his mouth seemed to curl into a smirk. "Oh?" He looked at Jennifer who had barely any clothes on her except for her pink bra. Her attractive figure caught his attention and there was a fiery passion in his eyes. "So I can do anything to you as long as it''s not here?" Chapter 20: Show Me What You Can Do Chapter 20: Show Me What You Can Do Under this enormous fear, Jennifer had no time to guess if he had ulterior motives or to observe his behaviour. She only thought maybe he was being kind since they lived together now. She finally stopped crying. " You can do anything." "Remember what you promised." Hans stood up and his shadow amplified. She couldn''t see his expression clearly against the light, she only heard him say coldly, "Follow me." Jennifer was stunned for a moment, then got up from the sofa as if she had been saved. She endured R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only the difort and hurried to follow Hans. All of the servants looked at each other in dismay. Even those who usually looked down on Jennifer showed sympathy. Who would have thought that Hans, the prince charming of thousands of women, the founder of his entertainment empire, would treat women so beastly? Or maybe he was only like this with Jennifer. The bedroom on the second floor was spacious with very little furniture, only a wardrobe, a big bed, and four walls. The lights were dim, creating a romantic vibe. "Come here." Hans sat by the bed and said coldly. Jennifer bit her lip and slowly walked over. She was barefooted as she hadn''t had time to change her shoes at the entryway, but now, the cold floor made her toes numb. Her gait became rigid and shaky. Hans sniggered and said, "Your legs gave out before I even touched you?" Every time he saw Jennifer''s stoic look, it reminded him of her mother. They were both pretentious b*tch. Jennifer did not refute Hans''s sarcasm. She just lowered her head. There were tears in her eyes but she refused to meet his gaze. "Kneel down." Hans ordered coldly. Without thinking, she knew what he meant. This was not the first time. She was even a little d that this was it. After all, normal prative sex always tired her out. It was better this way, although it was a little disgusting, she didn''t need to worry about being pregnant or taking morning after pill. She skillfully reached out her hand to undo his belt. The logo of his belt felt cold on her fingers. "Practice makes perfect indeed. You are so good at taking pants off men. Have you been practising with other men?" "No..." She raised her head and retorted firmly. When she saw that Hans looked a little dumbfounded, she immediately lowered her head in self- deprecation. She was a shameless b*tch to him anyway. What was the point of exining herself? Hans fell silent for a few seconds before he impatiently stood up and took off his trousers,pletely exposing his lower body in front of Jennifer, which was too shocking to look at. He noticed Jennifer deliberately averted her gaze, so he bent down and lifted her chin. "Why are you hiding? Didn''t you enjoy it every night? Don''t pretend to be innocent in front of me. Let''s see if you have gotten more skilful thanst time. Maybe if you pleased me, I will treat you better." The great sense of shame made Jennifer teary. Hans frowned, pushed away her face, and said coldly, "Let''s begin." Jennifer felt a sudden twisting pain on her neck as he pushed her face, she whimpered. She bit the tip of her tongue and swallowed the blood together with her pain and humiliation. She knew that Hans didn''t like her pitiful look. Chapter 21: Dark Night Chapter 21: Dark Night She slowly raised her hands and held his thighs. She moved forward while kneeling and slowly buried her head between his legs. Hans''s hands were just lightly ced on the edge of the bed so he could look down at Jennifer pleasing him. All of a sudden, his face darkened, his pupils contracted, and his hands clenched up. He bit his lips as if he was holding onto something, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Jennifer below him slowed down her pace, going in and out. Hans finally couldn''t take it anymore and pressed down her head on him. Jennifer was not used to this. Her lips were small, so she could barely fit his p*nis into her mouth. She would pull it out every time before it reached her throat. Even then, she would still feel nauseated. Hans''s pushing forced his p*nis right into her throat. The salty taste assaulted all her senses. "argh... " In the end, she couldn''t hold back. She turned around, supported herself up with her hand, and retched ufortably. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Hans looked down at her from above, with his p*nis still erect. Looking at her from the side, her breasts looked fuller and her pink bra entuated her nice figure. Her white shirt messily rested on her shoulder, revealing her shoulders, and her blue jeans exposed her hot figure in front of him. As she turned to her back, her slender waist and butt teased him endlessly. "That''s all you could take?" His cold voice tried to suppress his restlessness with a trace of irony. "It seems that you haven''t learned anything from other men." Jennifer teared up from her waves of nausea. She couldn''t care less about his mocking. She lowered her head and retched for a long time, but there was only her saliva. Hans thought her silence was her ignoring him. He felt growing anger and he lifted her up from the ground and threw her on the bed without saying a word. Lying on the snow-white sheets and soft mattress, Jennifer imagined how blissful it would be if she could just fall asleep right now. However, Hans was still lying on top of her, and his cold gaze was sizing her up and down. Her pink bra was pushed up to her chin by him aggressively as he squeezed her body painfully. She gritted her teeth, trying not to make any sound. He rudely ripped off all her clothes and threw them under the bed, and he prated her with no forey. "Ah... " She clutched the sheets under her body tightly, but she couldn''t hold back the searing pain. She let out a painful groan as he enjoyed himself. "Jennifer, no one can satisfy you except me. This is a good deal for you too." Although he had full control of her body, Hans still wanted to humiliate her verbally. Amid the waves of thrusting, she actually started to feel a little pleasure. Her groans slowly turned into moans, her euphoria sounded grating to Hans. His face darkened and suddenly stopped his movement. Looking coldly at Jennifer under him drunk on lust, he suddenly had a mischievous thought. He slowed down and asked in a hoarse voice, "Are you enjoying this?" Chapter 22: Machine Chapter 22: Machine Right now, Jennifer could barely control her own body. Hans''s tone was kind warm, not that cold. As if dreaming, Jennifer couldn''t help but twist her thin waist and hum a little. Hans smirked and thrust slowly, it was torture for Jennifer and she was restless under him. She couldn''t help but moan and push her body toward his chest. She felt a wave of relief and she wrapped her hands around his neck, trying to get closer to him. Initially, Hans didn''t like to see her enjoying herself and wanted to torture her, but he didn''t expect her to take initiative. After all, he was the one who always had to force her to have sex. For a moment, he forgot himself and hisplicated feelings towards her. He moved his waist and thrust wildly. He breathed out a sigh of relief, and Jennifer curved her lips into a smile of satisfaction. From N?velDrama.Org. "Hans..." She called out his name in a daze. Hans suddenly realized that he had gotten carried away. He turned his head and saw her arms around his neck. His face suddenly turned cold. He grabbed her wrist and tossed it aside. Her arm fell on the bed and her fingers hit the headboard. Jennifer was suddenly awakened by great pain. "Ouch..." She gasped. Holding her pinky that was swollen, she snapped out of it. Her eyes grew misty, as if asking Hans why he had to treat her like that. Hansy on her, she couldn''t see his expression against the light. His voice was cold and emotionless as usual. "Keep your hand to yourself. If you cross the line, don''t me me for being rough on you." He was the one in charge here, whether on the bed or outside of it. Unless he requested it, he would not allow Jennifer to interfere with his actions. She owed him this. Jennifer held her fingers in pain. He thrusted to release his anger and her body gradually cooled down as he left abruptly. She felt like a machine, a machine to please him. He stood by the bed naked, he coldly nced at the messy bed. "You know exactly what to do." Jennifer struggled to sit up from the bed, her long hair scattered on her shoulders. She stared at him and touched his bathrobe with her fingertips. She didn''t know where her strength came from or where she lost her dignity. "Put this on or you''ll catch a cold..." Hans turned to his bathrobe beside her, and his face stiffened. After a while, he coldly said, "Nevermind that. Keep whatever you have touched, or throw it away." Soon, the sound of running water came from the master bathroom. Jennifer looked at the bathrobe beside her and frowned. She always looked at the bright side of things. So much so that she convinced herself that Hans''s abnormal behaviour tonight was him being jealous of Jackson, which meant that he cared about her even just a little. Look, he didn''t even ask the servants to bath her and directly brought her to the bedroom instead. Plus, he seemed gentler than usual tonight. There was even a few moments where she saw him smile. Thinking of this, she managed to force a smile. It was still a long time until the wedding date set by his grandmother. She was sure that she could show Hans that she truly loved him. Hans was not a cruel person, she was the one who did something wrong in the beginning. Chapter 23: He Used to Be Gentle Chapter 23: He Used to Be Gentle Jennifer soaked herself in the bathtub. The high temperature of the bathwater gradually eased her Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. pain. She rested her head on the edge of the bathtub and she rxed her stiff limbs. Hans wasn''t such a rough and ruthless person before. Like his father, he was very gentle. Although he didn''t talk much, he was very thoughtful and always helped her when she needed it. Although he did it secretly, she knew it was him instead of other family members. The modification of the event design for her club during her second year of high school, theplex mathematical analysis methods for her third year of high school, as well as the extra milk and checklist in her bag during the art exam. Even when she was in college, the hrious situation where the creepy senior avoided her like a gue after pestering her for a long time. Thinking back, the things that Hans had done for her in private were innumerable. She had never thought about it before, until now. Now that he had be cold and indifferent to her, she really started to miss those times. Those memories were still fresh in her mind. Since when did she realize that she had fallen in love with Hans? Perhaps it was when she found out that he awkwardly asked his father and her mother to bring her flowers when she graduated, where she caught him red-handed even though he pretended he didn''t show up. Or maybe it was when she fainted after that car ident and woke up in the hospital, he held her hands and told her, "Don''t be afraid, I am here." Or maybe it was all the little things after they had spent the past ten years together. Her love and admiration for him ran deep. However lowly and insignificant he thought of her, she still held onto a little hope in her heart, waiting for the day when he would change his mind. Companionship was better than infatuation. Since he was willing to let her stay by his side, he must have an attachment to her. Hans only had a day off each week. So although it was Sunday the next morning, he had to work since he took a day off on Saturday. She was his secretary, so she had to work too. Her rm rang on time. She went to work earlier than Hans, so after the first ring she woke up and hurriedly turned off the rm. She sat in bed for a while, then went to the bathroom to wash up and get ready for work in one fell swoop. She deliberately did not make a lot of noise when she got up. Everything in this vi was great, except that her room was partitioned off from Hans''s master bedroom. She didn''t know why the room wasn''t particrly soundproof. Hans could hear everything going on in her room clearly. She carried a zer on her arms and wore a white shirt and a tight ck skirt. She went downstairs carefully barefoot. The servants had already prepared breakfast. When they saw Jennifer, they stood by the side to wait on her. "Miss Jennifer, breakfast is ready. Are you eating at home?" Jennifer looked up at the closed master bedroom door upstairs. After hesitating for a moment, she took two pieces of bread from the table. "I''ll take them with me." If Hans came down while she was eating, who knew what would happen. It was better not to risk it. With her zer in one hand and the bread in the other, she changed into ck high heels. She smiled at the two servants who were preparing breakfast. "I''m leaving." The servants looked at each other. They didn''t know if Miss Jennifer was easy-going or stupid. It seemed that no matter how Mr. Hans tortured her, she was always still full of life the next morning. She smiled at everyone and she was always in high spirit, which always left people puzzled. Out of the vi, Jennifer slowly breathed a sigh of relief and gradually stopped smiling. She was still frightened thinking about what happenedst night. She had to act like everything was fine in front of outsiders. Otherwise, anyone else could bully her too. She didn''t understand this when Stephanie said this to her, but now it made sense for her. Chapter 24: Let鈥檚 Keep Our Distance Chapter 24: Let¡¯s Keep Our Distance On the pathway outside the vi, a gust of wind made Jennifer shiver. She quickly put the bread in her mouth and put on the zer. However, with her white handbag hanging on her other arm, she looked clumsy. This was exactly what Jackson saw. She looked like a monkey with something in her mouth and fiddled with her zer. Her hand could not reach her back, so she jumped up and down. It was a funny sight. "Jennifer, are you putting on a show for me this early in the morning?" Jackson''s voice came out of nowhere. Jennifer''s whole body stiffened. She suddenly looked up and saw him leaning against the car door, dressed in a beige casual suit and bathing in the warm morning N?velDrama.Org holds this content. sun. "You get so flustered just by putting on a coat. You haven''t changed at all even after so many years, you''re still just as impatient." Jackson walked towards her and reached out to help her pull up the sleeve behind her back. Before his hand touched her coat, Jennifer suddenly came to her senses and jumped to the side as if she got an electric shock. She took out the bread from her mouth and put the handbag on the ground. "It''s okay, I can do it myself." As she was speaking, she was on her side and was just about to put her arm into the sleeve of the zer that was beside her shoulder. She looked as if she could not avoid his touch soon enough. She picked up the bag on the ground and was about to leave. "I have something to do, I''ll have to leave now." "You really don''t want to see me huh?" Jackson''s voice came from behind. His guilt was apparent. "Jennifer, it was my fault back then, but I have been trying my best to break away from my family''s control over the years. I have done it now, and I havee back to make it up to you, and I think we..." "Stop it." Jennifer stopped and turned on her high heels. She didn''t dare to look at the vi, fearing that Hans would be standing at the door or at the window, looking at her, and then he would bring her back to be severely "punished". "Jennifer..." Jackson did not give up, he thought she hadn''t forgiven him so he hurried towards her. "Don''te any closer, let''s keep some distance." Jennifer reached out her hand to stop him. She nced at the second floor of the vi, everything seemed normal. "I won''t... I''m not the kind of person... Jennifer, I..." Jackson was a little surprised. Even though they hadn''t seen each other for years, he didn''t expect she would think of him as some thug who would take advantage of women. Hearing this, Jennifer knew he misunderstood her. She quickly exined, "I didn''t mean that, I..." She looked at Jackson up and down and she had an idea. "I mean, you are a celebrity now. If we were photographed together, there are bound to be gossip even if there is nothing going on here. So we should keep our distance." Hearing this, Jackson''s face gradually rxed. "It doesn''t matter. I checked before I came. The security here is really tight, the reporters can''t get in. Are you going to work? I will give you a ride." Hearing that he was going to send her, Jennifer''s face turned pale. "No, I can just take the bus and then the subway. It''s very convenient, really." "You live here and you are taking public transport?" Jackson looked at her in confusion. The housing price in this area was ridiculously high. Even with his current worth, he would have to seriously think about it before buying a house here. Chapter 25: Eating Is a Choking Hazard for Her Chapter 25: Eating Is a Choking Hazard for Her "We need to be environmental friendly even in our daily routine." Jennifer blurted out such lies. She thought about it and was worried that he would not believe her, so she quickly added, "Now is peak hour, public transports are much faster than driving, really." "Let me send you, I have something to tell you..." Jackson looked as if he hadn''t slept all night. Looking closely, he had huge eye bags. Jennifer felt sorry for him, but when she thought of Hans, she shivered involuntarily. She raised her wrist to look at the time and said hurriedly, "I really don''t have time. I have to rush to catch the bus. Let''s talk next time." She turned around and left Jackson behind. To her, this old love was the most colourful part of her youth. However, life went on. Now there was a new chapter in her life, with a new socialwork, and a new life. When she thought about Jackson in the depths of her memory, she no longer felt the pain like she used to. Perhaps she was too fragile to handle it then but it did not matter now. Or perhaps time healed all wounds, so well that it didn''t even leave a scar. Looking at Jennifer darting away in her high heels, there was more loneliness in Jackson''s eyes than guilt. In his mind, Jennifer was still the little girl in a dress with white sneakers, chasing behind him, begging him to teach her how to y tennis. Her grades were bad, and she was shameless and clingy. "After all, it had been ten years. You can''t expect her to still be waiting for you, right?" Jackson thought to himself. On the second floor of the vi, a cold light shed through the window slit. Hans looked away with a smile of satisfaction. It seemed that Jennifer had learned her lesson. She knew that she should not be too close with another man. "But what about when she leaves this vi? What will happen?" Hans thought to himself Thinking of this, an air of anger rose between Hans''s eyebrows. He pulled on his tie and walked impatiently in the room before he finally turned around and strode downstairs. Jennifer ran to the bus stop in a hurry just as bus 42 left. Looking at the back of the bus, Jennifer ran after it while waving her white handbag, but the bus didn''t stop. The bus turned around the corner and disappeared from her sight. Jackson''s car slowly pulled up next to Jennifer and he rolled down the passenger seat''s window. "The bus left. Why don''t you just let me send you? I''ll drop you off somewhere close to where you work. Nothing will happen." Jennifer frowned at the sports car in front of her, she was in a dilemma. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. If Hans found out Jackson gave her a ride, it was going to be trouble. However, if she waited for the next bus, she would bete for work and Hans would blow it out of proportion too. The consequences would also be unimaginable. Both choices were equally bad... "It''s far away from the vi, Hans probably won''t find out, right?" Jennifer thought. She took the chance and looked at the sports car, her fingers were ready to open the car door. Dust rose on the side of the road and a ck SUV sped past Jackson''s blue sports car. There was a sharp braking noise followed by white skid marks on the ground. The door opened and a man''s voice came from the SUV. "Secretary Jennifer, you didn''t catch the bus? Why don''t I give you a ride?" Jennifer''s face turned pale. Under the cold gaze of Hans, she felt like she couldn''t get away with anything. Hans was wearing a well-fitted ck suit, he stood up straight with his slender legs and shiny leather shoes. His outfit made Jackson frown deeply. "Jennifer, he..." "This is my boss. Since we are going the same way, I''ll just go with him." Jennifer interrupted him and rushed towards the SUV at the front. Without a word, she opened the front passenger door and got in the car. Hans stood outside the car for a few seconds, he nced at the man with sunsses in the sports car. He seemed to be the same person fromst night. Hans deliberately caught a glimpse of the license te number and memorized it. He showed a faint smile to Jackson and then turned to get in the car. It was very quiet in the car. Jennifer still had half a piece of bread in her hands. She was afraid that it would dirty the expensive leather seat, so she hurriedly stuffed it into her mouth. Her cheeks instantly bulged up and it was difficult to move them. "Good job Jennifer, you''re so good at pretending. If I hadn''t shown up just now, would you already be in his car?" Jennifer''s expression froze. She wanted to defend herself, but she could not speak for a moment as her mouth was stuffed with bread. She could only munch and swallow forcefully. She almost choked on the bread and had to catch a breath. Hans was a little annoyed that she didn''t respond. He turned around only to find her choking. He widened his eyes and growled, "What are you doing?" She lowered her head for a long while before she could squeeze a word out. "Water... " Hans held the steering wheel with one hand and opened the storage box between the two seats with the other hand. He took out an opened bottle of water and passed it to Jennifer. Jennifer took several gulps and finally managed to swallow the piece of bread in her throat. She took a deep breath and burped... "You..." Hans was speechless. It was rare to find a woman who could put herself in grave danger just by drinking water. Jennifer thought that he was disgusted by her burping which had contaminated the air in the car, so she hurriedly pressed a button and opened the window on her side. The weather of early autumn was always colder than people realized. Just as she opened the car window, the cold wind rushed in and made Jennifer sneeze several times. Hans slightly frowned and said coldly. "Do you want to freeze me to death so that you can be with that guy as soon as possible?" Jennifer pursed her lips and closed the window sheepishly. Her body gradually warmed up. "Your stupidity makes me speechless." Hans said that coldly without even looking at her, and he didn''t say another word for the rest of the journey. This was good too. Jennifer slightly adjusted her sitting position and leaned on the leather seat, looking out at the window. At first, she was afraid that Hans would say something mean, but he didn''t. Slowly, she fell asleep. It had been a long time since she and Hans had been in the same space peacefully. It seemed that ever since that incident, he was always angry to see her and began to hate her for no reason. She couldn''t do anything right. Hearing a snore, Hans couldn''t help ncing at her from the corner of his eyes. Her mouth was slightly pouted and she was mumbling. He could hear her mumbles between the howling wind. "Hansy..." Hans was stunned, he had not heard her call him by this name in a long time. Chapter 26: Hansy Chapter 26: Hansy She started to call him like this ten years ago. At the time, Hans''s biological mother, Alice, had passed away for more than half a year. His father''s new wife, Stephanie, brought Jennifer into their family. It R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only seemed that there was nothing worthy of criticism. He just came back from abroad because of his mother''s illness and gradually took over his family business. He had a few properties that his mother had bought for him, so he did not have to live with his father. He was not interested in Stephanie or her daughter. In general, he had no opinions on his father''s personal life. The only interaction he had with Jennifer in the first year was when he had to go to the family house every weekend for a family dinner. They had to pretend to be a happy family to make his grandmother happy. When his father first introduced Stephanie and Jennifer to him, he had just finished a project in the waspletely different from Stephanie, he felt a little something. "Hans, she is your Aunt Stephanie''s daughter, Jennifer. She will be your sister in the future. You should take good care of her." "Call him brother." "He didn''t even agree yet, it''s not proper." This was what Jennifer said while twisting the corner of her school uniform jacket. It was also the first time he heard her speak. Her voice was sweet and tender. Hans''s fatherughed, which was a rare sight to see as far as Hans could remember, so Hans was secretly surprised. He was amused by Jennifer''s sensibility. "Hans, don''t mind her. My daughter has always been shy since she was a child..." A few days after Stephanie said that, Hans drove to his grandmother house for a Saturday night dinner. As soon as he entered the door, he was scared by a white object falling from a persimmon tree by the door. Jennifer patted her back clean and stood up from the ground. Jennifer was stunned for a moment when she saw Hans, then she opened her hand and handed him a huge persimmon. The bright orange persimmon in her hand looked like crystal. "Hey, do you want one? This is the biggest one." His pale face slowly reddened, and the corner of his mouth slowly curved into a smile. His voice was gentle with a hint of yfulness. "My name is not Hey..." In the following year, they met up more and more. Somehow, Jennifer became his shadow, following him everywhere and chattering away, calling him Hansy non-stop. He lived alone outside, so she always came up with an excuse to visit and pester him. He would often smell the food when he came back home. He didn''t even know how she managed to get the password for his door. "You made that?" "I made the cucumber sd, and my mother and maid made the rest. I was afraid that you will find it a hassle if I invite you over for dinner, so I brought the food to you. Come and have some, Hansy. It''s getting cold." After a few bites, he found her salivating beside him. "Have you eaten yet?" She shook her head expectantly. "I was afraid that the food will get cold, so I came in a hurry and haven''t eaten..." "Then you should hurry home for dinner." He said emotionlessly without a hint of empathy. Hans left home in his teens and lived alone for many years. It was a little difficult for him to say something warm. However, when he saw Jennifer walk to the door dejectedly, he suddenly felt sympathy in his heart. "Don''t send the food over tomorrow. It''s not far away, I will have the meal back home." Therefore, after many years of not experiencing the happy family atmosphere, Hans got to be a good son for several years, thanks to Jennifer. Although his rtionship with his father was not very close, it was much better than before where they would only talk about work. Later on, when he got used to having dinner at home, he would sometimes stay overnight when there was a thunderstorm. He would flip through her notes and homework. Seeing that she would make a lot of mistakes and was even bad at simple math, he would leave a correction on the side, plus a note. "I will feel ashamed if others know that you are my sister." But how did it end up like this? Suddenly, a car honked from behind and the noise woke Jennifer up from her deep slumber in the passenger seat. She looked out of the window and asked, "Have we arrived yet?" Hans instantly returned to his usual cold self. "What? Do you want me to send you straight to the door so that others will know that we are rted?" Jennifer''s face froze. "I didn''t mean that..." "Get off the car then ande to the office within five minutes. If you arete for even one second, you will have to bear the consequences." Hans''s order was like a deadly curse. Jennifer reflexively got out of the car without any hesitation and ran all the way to the office on high heels. Hans would have to drive to thepany and park his car at the underground parking lot. By the time he took an elevator to the office, it would probably be more than five minutes. Jennifer looked at her watch while counting down the red lights. The moment it turned green, she darted like an arrow leaving a bow, which surprised the olddy beside her. She reached the office in six minutes and seventeen seconds. Jane from finance was at the secretary''s office holding a stack of documents when she saw Jennifer. "Hey, Secretary Jennifer, you are here. Can you help me send this to Mr. Hans to sign..." "You can just leave it on my table." After saying this, Jennifer scurried past her. The president''s office door opened and closed again. There was no one else in it except for James, who was changing the water dispenser. Hans''s seat was empty too, so obviously he had not arrived yet. Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief and walked to the water dispenser feeling thirsty. "Fortunately..." James didn''t ask her what she meant by that. It was not the first time she had rushed here in such a hurry. He poured a ss of water and handed it to Jennifer. "I just changed it, the water is not hot yet, I hope you don''t mind." "Thank you." She gulped down arge ss of cold water. "You''re wee. The news..." Before James could finish speaking, the voice at the door of the president''s office interrupted him. "Mr. Hans, you''re here. Please have a look at the quarterly finance report and sign it." "Have you shown it to Secretary Jennifer yet?" Hans''s tone was cold and indifferent. Each department should hand over their documents to Jennifer to have a look before it was delivered to Hans. She would make notes of the key points in order to be more efficient, which was the "Exactly... I wanted to give her the document just now but she ignored me. After all, she worked directly under you. She is always busy so she doesn''t care about us lowly employees. We can only do everything ourselves..." The door of the president''s office was not closed, so Jennifer heard every word. She frowned and threw the paper cup into the trash can. As James looked at her embarrassingly, she stepped on her high heels and headed for the door. If they want to say something bad about her, they should do it behind her back. She was not deaf. Chapter 27: You Think I Went Easy on You? Chapter 27: You Think I Went Easy on You? Jennifer opened the door and stood behind Jane from finance. Her voice was cold and clear. "Jane, I remember this is your second time here. The first time you were here, the data was not correct, so I asked you to take it back and change it. It should have been sent here on Friday night. It is already Sunday. If it weren''t for this problem, would you have been willing to work overtime today?" Jane was extremely careless in her work. Everyone in thepany knew that she had a fling with the vice director of the finance department. If Jennifer hadn''t spotted this mistake before it was sent to Hans, who knew how many people would be implicated in it? Not only was Jane not grateful to her for extending the deadline, now she even tried to put the me on her, it was uneptable. "Secretary Jennifer, you... you... I didn''t mean that. I''m here now and I made all the changes" In front of Hans, Jane did not dare to talk nonsense. She was so scared that her face turned pale. She only regretted that she didn''t notice that the door of the office was not closed. Jennifer looked at her coldly and was about to say something when Hans suddenly spoke. "You should have finished the data on Friday, why is it dyed till Sunday?" He sounded like he was putting the me on Jane, a glimmer of disbelief shed through Jennifer''s face. Hans had never spoken up for her in thepany. She was always the first to be med when something happened, which was why she was in such a hurry to exin it. Jane was so scared her face turned pale. She faltered for a long time. "My godmother was hospitalized on Friday for appendicitis, so I didn''t have time to do..." This kind ofme excuse was obviously false. If there was something really going on with her family, she could get a medical certificate to apply for a paid leave. Jane was such azy and opportunistic person, there was no reason why she didn''t apply for leave. Jennifer sneered. Did Jane think that Hans was brainless? Hans hated it when others lied to him. "Oh? You should apply for leave when something happens at home. How about this, you go to the finance department to get 5,000 dors incentives, and then tell the human resources that you need a week off to take care of your godmother..." Jane was in disbelief. "Mr. Hans... you must be joking. I, I''m fine. I cane to work." Jennifer''s face changed bit by bit. She looked at Hans, her fingertips slightly trembling. "Go. As for Secretary Jennifer, since you didn''t figure out a timetable for each department for personnel purposes, which resulted in a decrease in our work efficiency and caused the dy of this quarterly financial review. Your bonus this month will be deducted." Jane looked like she had just seen the strangest thing in the world. Her pale face looked stiff and ridiculous when she heard what Hans said, and her cheeks twitched. She looked at Jennifer and tried to exin, "Mr. Hans, this... Secretary Jennifer is not to be med on this matter, it''s me..." "If I don''t me her, then I should me you?" Hans''s voice echoed in the corridor between the president''s office and the secretary''s office, giving people goosebumps. Jane shivered for no reason and quickly said, "Thank you Mr. Hans. I''ll leave the documents in Secretary Jennifer''s office, then I''ll go to the finance department..." Jennifer could not stop Hans''s unreasonable behaviour and just watched Jane leave. After all, it was Following him into the office, Jennifer clenched her fist and said to Hans in a trembling voice, "You could have just told me if you are mad at me. Why do you have to mix work with personal issues? You know that when Jane returns to the finance department, she will..." "Mad at you?" Hans snorted and interrupted Jennifer. He slowly sat down behind the desk, and the spacious leather sofa trembled slightly. He stopped at a distance that allowed him to be at eye levels with Jennifer. "Who do you think you are?" James walked out of the office knowingly and closed the door of the office behind him. Jennifer peered at Hans''s desk and defended herself softly. "I don''t think I did anything wrong in this matter. I followed thepany''s rules, Jane..." "I told you to get to the office in five minutes. Did you do that?" There was a trace of astonishment on Jennifer''s face. "You disobeyed my orders during working hours. When you first started working here as a secretary, did your predecessor not tell you that this is part of the contract too?" There was a voice in her heart asking, "Did she?" She thought about it for a long time, only to remember that thest secretary left with a big box without saying anything. "If she didn''t, I''ll tell you now." As if knowing what she was thinking, Hans''s nce grew sharp, stabbing Jennifer like a knife. "But I arrived before you." "Was my order for you to arrive before me?" Hans''s voice grew deeper. "You really know how to exploit loopholes. You think you can do whatever N?velDrama.Org holds this content. you want when I''m not here." He could always exaggerate a small thing to the extreme. Initially, Jennifer wanted to exin something. She opened her mouth but at the end, she lowered her head and kept silent. The more she said, the more mistakes she would make. She really had no idea how had she angered him. "Repeat the order I gave you." She didn''t want to speak, but Hans insisted on letting her speak. Jennifer raised her head slightly, and her thin bangs blocked her vision. She hesitated to keep this angle and stopped moving. Her sweet voice grew hoarse. "Get to the office in five minutes." "What else?" She frowned. "If I waste for even a second, I''ll have to bear the consequences." She flustered thinking of the consequences. As she spoke, she grabbed the hem of her suit jacket and trembled slightly. Hans looked her up and down. "Why? Are you reluctant?" "No... No..." She gritted her teeth and did not dare to resist. It was because this was his turf. She knew what kind of torture and humiliation she had to endure if she dared to defy his wishes. This office was like his yground, he could use it to humiliate her for fun. Thinking of this, she felt nauseated again just likest night. She frowned and bit the tip of her tongue to suppress the nausea. Hans nced at her. "What are you standing here for? Go do your own work. Or do you want me to help you check those data?" She was startled by the sudden remark and asked, "Huh?" "Or what else do you think it is?" Hans raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a yful smile. "Do you think that deducting a month''s bonus was too light of a punishment? How about we do it another way?" "No... it''s pretty good... I... I''m going to review the reports..." As if she had been pardoned, Jennifer ran like the wind. "Send in a cup of coffee after you are done checking the data." A faint voice came from behind. Chapter 28: Mystery Woman Chapter 28: Mystery Woman After Jennifer left, James returned with a proposal in hand. "Mr. Hans, this is the project n for the next six months. The department has revised it ording to your request at the meetingst time. If there is no problem, please sign it, and then they will carry out the project in this direction." "Well, have you read it? Is there any problem?" "No problem, but you should take another look..." Hans directly turned to thest page and signed his name. "As long as you think it''s fine, just leave it to them." James had always been by his side since he first entered thepany. If he could not trust James on this, then there was really no one he could trust around him. "Alright." Hans closed the contract and handed the ck file to James who was on the other side of the desk. "Give it to them." James took it with a hesitant look, as if he wanted to say something but couldn''t. "Mr. Hans, have you read today''s news?" Hans was puzzled. This was the first time James asked such a question, "Why?" He didn''t like to read the news from his mobile phone. Every day, Jennifer would organize the newspaper and send it in. He nced at the spot where the newspaper usually sat and frowned. His tone grew cold. "I think Jennifer is eager to get fired. When you go out, remind her to do her job." There was a strange look that shed past James''s face but he did not dare to say anything. He had been with Hans for a long time and he knew a little about the rtionship between Hans and Jennifer. However, Hans''s attitude towards Jennifer was so unpredictable. In front of others, he always treated her coldly, but he always secretly looked after her behind her back. He didn''t know how much Hans knew about what happened today. James debated internally before he decided to silently walk out with the folder. Whether Hans knew about the news or not, it had nothing to do with him. He''d better not get muddled up in this mess. When he passed by the secretary office, he reminded Jennifer to send in today''s entertainment and finance papers into Hans''s office. Jennifer looked busy, her face turned pale when she realized her mistake. "I really forgot, did... he say anything?" James gave her aforting smile and said, "He didn''t say anything. He just asked me to remind you. I think Mr. Hans is in a good mood today, so just quickly send it in." Jennifer nodded hurriedly, picked up a pile of newspapers on the sofa opposite the desk, and walked out of the secretary office. When she was at the door of the president''s office, she suddenly remembered something and turned to the break room to make a cup of coffee, no sugar, with a ssh of milk. Then she took the newspaper in one hand and knocked on the door with the coffee in the other R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only hand. "Come in." "Mr. Hans, the coffee you asked for and today''s newspaper." "Alright." Hans didn''t even raise his head. He was just scribbling on a piece of paper with his Parker fountain pen. Jennifer put the coffee beside him and the newspaper on the newspaper shelf within his reach. Then she slightly bowed to him in front of the desk and turned to the door. The moment she turned around, Hans raised his head and saw the steaming coffee, it was rich and fragrant, just as he remembered it. He picked up the newspapers, threw the entertainment paper to the side, and flipped directly to the finance paper to check the stock market... Although he was in the entertainment business, he was not interested in gossips at all. This news was not important to him. If there was anything crucial, his assistant would report it to him, and the worry about thepany''s yearly n and the financial report. His indifference towards the entertainment news was the reason why he could barely name a few celebrities in hispany. He just nced at the cover of the entertainment paper from the corner of his eye and quickly returned to the ups and downs of the stock market on the finance paper. He stopped for a second before he slowly looked up towards the colourful cover of the entertainment paper. There was a piece of explosive news that day. "Jackson held mystery woman at concert, woman turned out to be the lover of an entertainment tycoon." Although the news did not name names, Hans could recognize the woman in Jackson''s arms with his eyes closed. "Jennifer, you really are something else!" Hans thought. Hans clenched the corners of the newspaper, wrinkled it up, and ruthlessly threw it into the trash can. The newspaper unravelled a little, revealing their faces wrinkled and twisted in the newspaper. The whole morning, Hans did not pick on Jennifer like he usually did. In the afternoon, Joy Group''s most famous celebrity, Monica, who was also a frequent visitor to the president''s office, showed up with her hips swaying side to side. She passed by the secretary''s office with her curly brown hair on one side of her shoulder. She knocked on the ss door of the secretary''s office with her newly done red nails. Her makeup was exquisite and she spoke with a tone that seemed deliberate. "Secretary Jennifer, is Mr. Hans here?" Jennifer was a little surprised. Monica never greeted her before and always walked into the office like she owned the ce. Today must be Jennifer''s lucky day since Monica actually acknowledged her. "Miss Monica, you came at the wrong time. Mr. Hans just went to a meeting downstairs. He would probably not be back for another half an hour." "Alright, I''ll just wait here." Monica walked into the secretary''s office in twelve-centimetre knee-length boots. Her bright red cloak was particrly eye-catching. Inside was a white knitted shirt, revealing a part of her wrist. She wore thetest Cartier bracelet and also rings on her middle fingers. She looked fabulous. As soon as she entered the office, the entire secretary office was filled with her strong perfume smell. "Miss Monica, you can wait in the president''s office. I don''t have enough heating here, and it is not as well-ventted as the president''s office." The weather inte autumn started to cool down gradually. The heater was turned on for the whole building, but Jennifer was afraid that she would catch a cold at home at night, so the temperature in her office was always simr to outside. Monica sat on the sofa without asking like she owned the ce. "No rush. I think you are not busy either. Why don''t we talk for a while?" Jennifer was somewhat repulsed by Monica. Everyone knew that Monica was determined to marry Hans. Since she could go in and out of the president''s office freely, not only was she always mentioned in the gossips with Hans, but the wholepany had also regarded her as the future Mrs. Millers. There was a reason why she acted like she owned the ce. "Miss Monica, do as you please then. I have something to deal with so I can''t entertain you." Jennifer smiled faintly and averted her gaze from her. Chapter 29: I Heard You Became a Social Climber. Chapter 29: I Heard You Became a Social Climber. Monica sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, she looked slender. If Jennifer were a man, she would not be able to look away. She looked at Jennifer and asked curiously, "Do you have a boyfriend?" Hearing this, a strange look shed across Jennifer''s face. "Miss Monica, I don''t think we are close enough to talk about this." Monica was not angry either. She smiled knowingly. "I used to suspect that... but now I am relieved. It turns out that you and Jackson are old friends." R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Hearing Jackson''s name, Jennifer''s face froze and she looked at Monica stiffly. "How did she know?" Jennifer thought. Looking at her surprised look, Monica tucked back her hair. "You always seemed quite low-key, and you are distant to thepany''s staff. I thought you and Hans were... Forget it. Since you have someone in mind, I will give you my blessing. You are totally a social climber. The way she only spoke half her mind made Jennifer frown. "Miss Monica, why don''t you make it clear?" A noise came from the elevator. It seemed like the board meeting had ended. Hans and his assistant James came back. Monica''s expression changed. She stood up from the sofa and gave Jennifer an ambiguous look. "What? You don''t watch the news?" When Hans came back, he saw Monicae out from the secretary''s office. Her bright red cloak assaulted his vision and her strong perfume scent made him frown. "Hans... You finally finished the meeting. I have been waiting for you for a long time." Hans''s looked coldly through the ss door of the secretary office and saw Jennifer standing behind her desk dejectedly. Their eyes met. His eyes narrowed. He looked at Monica in displease and said, "Why did youe out from there?" Monica''s joyful expression froze. She was slightly stunned and said cautiously, "I... I saw that you were not here, so I talked to... Secretary Jennifer." Hans did not pay attention to her exnation. Instead, he looked into the secretary''s office at the adept figure. Jennifer already sat down and continued working on theputer within that short time, as if the things happening here had nothing to do with her. A hint of coldness shed in Hans''s eyes. He looked away and caressed Monica''s delicate face with his finger. He tucked her hair and said in a deep voice, "You cane to my office directly in the future. The venttion is not good out here." Monica was overjoyed. Hans was rarely so gentle to her. She boldly held his arm and said, "Since you care so much about me, I''d have to think about you too. I was worried that people would gossip!" Hans did not refuse and nced at the secretary office. "Secretary Jennifer, don''t you know to prepare tea and snacks for the guest. Do you think I haven''t deducted enough of your bonus this month?" Jennifer''s face froze, and she stood up from her seat. "I will go to prepare it now." Looking at their backs side to side, Jennifer felt numb. Hans was always surrounded by many women. Monica was the most patient and ambitious one. She managed to keep Hans interested in her out of so many other girls. She also got rid of other girls even though she was not officially Hans''s girlfriend either. Her love for Hans was quite persistent. She should prepare some snacks for Monica seeing that Monica helped her get rid of Han''s other girls. A faint sneer appeared at the corner of Jennifer''s mouth. She was always good at pretending everything was fine, so such a trivial matter was nothing for her. When she brought in the tea and snacks, Monica was sitting on the sofa, snuggling in Hans''s arms. Seeing Jennifer with snacks, she picked up a macaron and put it beside Hans''s mouth. "I''m on a diet so I can''t eat this. Hans, can you eat them for me?" Hans was a clean freak. Jennifer knew Hans better than anyone else. He won''t even eat food people gave him wrapped in tissue paper, let alone food people held in their bare hands. Sure enough, Jennifer found a trace of displeasure on his face. Monica got lost in too much excitement! As Jennifer expected, Hans pushed her away from his arms and returned to his office chair with a poker face. Seeing that Jennifer was still there, Monica felt embarrassed and said shyly, "This macaron looked too sweet. I know a bakery with good macarons. Let''s go there together next time." There was a cunningness in Jennifer''s eyes. She turned and walked out of the office. After Jennifer left, Hans felt like it was a chore to even respond to Monica''s enthusiasm. He made a faint sound and did not say anything else. Noticing that Monica was still here after a long time, he frowned and said, "You don''t need to stay here with me if you are busy." "I''m not busy today." "But I am." A cold gaze drifted over from behind his desk. Hans made it clear that he did not want her here. Monica knew when she was not wanted. Since he already said that, she did not want to pester him anymore. "Then I won''t bother you anymore. My agent will take me to a meeting tonight and I will be in a new movie." "Okay." Monica''s ability to evaluate the situation was the main reason she got to stay by Hans''s side for a long time. Men all hoped that their women knew when to take a step back. This was exactly why Hans could turn a blind eye to some of her little tricks. As long as her existence could make someone nervous, that was enough. Hans looked down and smelled the strong perfume on him. He took off his coat impatiently and threw it into the trash can, covering the crumpled entertainment newspaper. With Monica''s hint, Jennifer checked the news on her phone. After she clicked on the top three most searched hashtags, she felt weak and copsed on the office chair. "The mysterious woman schemed to get Jackson''s attention by fainting at the concert." ''Scheming woman''s office location exposed. She was the lover of an entertainment tycoon.'' "Doing anything she could to be asocial climber, she turned her target to Jackson after she failed to seduce her boss." ... Although all the pictures were pixted, Jennifer could still recognize that it was herself. There was even a video recording at Jackson''s concert. It had already been forwarded more than ten million times. The fans were attacking her online, and some people even found where she worked based on the photo Rose posted on Instagram. Jennifer nced at Rose''s table opposite her, it was empty. It was her day off so she was not there. Jennifer knew that Rose probably had too much funst night and she would have to sleep all day to recover. No wonder she felt that people were looking at her weird the whole day when she passed by the office area outside the president''s office. Thinking of the possible behavior of those fans, she was a little flustered. Chapter 30: Mocking and Taunting Chapter 30: Mocking and Taunting Jennifer was feeling uneasy when Monica came out of the president''s office. When she passed by the secretary''s office, she immediately saw Jennifer who was sitting at her seat listlessly. Herptop screen was facing the door and Monica saw her searches. "Secretary Jennifer, as someone who had been through this, I will tell you that the craziness of the fans is far beyond your imagination. Be careful when you get off work." She looked at Jennifer with sympathy. So what if she was an old acquaintance of Jackson? It was a pity that she was not a celebrity. Getting involved in gossips would do her no good at all. Jennifer came to her senses and closed herptop immediately. She frowned and looked at the enchanting woman at the door. Her tone was not friendly. "I don''t think we are that close, so maybe you don''t have to meddle in my personal life?" Monica''s face froze. She was just here for the drama and she even kindly gave her a word of advice. She did not expect that Jennifer would be so ungrateful, which made her quite angry. "What kind of attitude is this? Do you think you''re that important to Hans? I can make you lose your job just like that." Jennifer stared at her coldly without blinking. "Do as you please then." Maybe the people in thepany didn''t know how important Monica was to Hans, but Jennifer knew N?velDrama.Org holds this content. very clearly that it was all a show. The day Monica meddled in thepany''s affairs would be the day Hans grew tired of her. "You ..." The footsteps approaching the office suppressed Manica''s anger. James''s voice came from the office area. Monica was afraid of the people around Hans, so she reluctantly stamped her feet. Her twelve- centimetre long boots collided with the wooden floor. "Secretary Jennifer, we''ll see." Looking at Monica''s stomping away on her high heels angrily, Jennifer didn''t feel proud. In fact, she regretted not holding back her words. She didn''t know what kind of trouble she would get into. The current trouble was already too much for her. James passed by Monica and nodded at her. When he passed by the secretary''s office, he looked at Jennifer with some concern. She seemed to have something on her mind and did not notice anything. The article in the newspaper was vague, but the fans'' sleuthing ability was beyond imagination. Following the Instagram stories posted by Rose at the concert, they directly pinpointed Jennifer''s identity. He had juste from the office and heard a lot of gossips. "I think Secretary Jennifer was the mystery woman at Jackson''s concertst night. I have seen her wear that dress." "Is Secretary Jennifer an old acquaintance of Jackson?" "What? It''s probably sensationalised by the media. I think it was just an ident but Secretary Jennifer ended up being targeted by fans." James wanted tofort Jennifer but when he walked to the door, he couldn''t find the right words. After standing there for a few seconds, Jennifer saw him and she looked at him, puzzled. "James, what''s up?" James was a little surprised and said, "Oh, nothing. It''s just... I think it''s about time to get off work. It seems that there''s nothing to do today, you can leave early." Jennifer forced a smile. "I would be lucky not to work overtime. How could I leave earlier?" James didn''t know what to say, so he smiled awkwardly and walked into the president''s office. When James saw the expensive suit jacket in the trash can, he froze for a second and seemed to have understood something. "This is the meeting minutes for this morning. Please sign it." "Okay." "The news about Jennifer and Jackson, do you want to have a talk with all the mediapanies?" James asked cautiously. Hans frowned, and his eyes grew cold. "There''s no need." "I think it''s a big deal. Many people in thepany already know about it. I don''t know if Jackson''s fans will go too far." James reminded him softly. "Tell the security department to pay more attention to suspicious personnel these days. Those who don''t have ess cards are not allowed to enter thepany." Hans''s voice showed no emotion. "But outside of thepany..." "She reaps what she sowed." Hans red at James and asked, " Since when are you this close with Jennifer?" Hans''s words scared James, he broke out in a cold sweat. "I''m just worried about the safety of the other employees..." "You can go now. You don''t have to tell me everything." Hearing that, James did not dare to say anything else. He could only sigh silently and hurriedly left with the signed file. Hans seemed to be in a bad mood today. He sounded impatient when he spoke. Moreover, the usually empty garbage can was filled with scrunched up waste paper today. It showed just how fretful Hans was. Apart from the technical staff and the security department who had to work overtime that day, most employees got off work on time at five o''clock. Jennifer was no exception. She nced at the news again before she got off work, and found her news with Jackson was still on the top three most searched hashtags. She began to regret not asking for Jackson''s number. At least she could ask him to get to the bottom of the matter. As soon as she walked out of thepany, her phone rang in her pocket. At the other end of the phone, Rose''s voice was like thunder, splitting her ears. "I just woke up. God, what the hell happened? You are going viral!" "I don''t know if I''m going viral, but I know that those fans found me through your Instagram." Jennifer sighed. "Please pity me and delete your Instagram story." Rose still did not know how serious the situation was. "I''m not going to delete it. Maybe this is an opportunity for Jackson to meet you personally, and I can benefit from it too!" "Rose... Ahhh..." "What''s wrong?" Rose heard a scream from the other end of the phone, followed by chaotic noises. At the door of the Joy Group, several women wearing masks came out from nowhere with rotten eggs and tomatoes in their hands and threw them at Jennifer. Jennifer''s scream just now was when she was hit by a tomato from behind. Her mobile phone flew out of her hand into the street and was directly crushed by the passing car, breaking it into pieces. "I''m going to kill you, you shameless b*tch!" At first, two women threw things at her from a distance, but then suddenly arge group of people came up. They were mostly women, but there were a few men joining for fun. They were all wearing masks. In the blink of an eye, Jennifer''s clean work clothes were covered with smelly vegetables and eggs. A ck SUV slowly drove through the crowd. Jennifer saw a glimmer of hope when she saw the familiar car and license te. James, who was driving, stepped on the brake with a frown and said, "Mr. Hans, it''s Secretary Jennifer." Chapter 31: Not Helping and Losing Hope Chapter 31: Not Helping and Losing Hope Hans looked up at Jennifer who was surrounded by the crowd. Wearing high heels and being in the centre of the crowd, she was particrly eye-catching. She held her white handbag over her head and her clear eyes were looking expectantly in his direction. Just like after that car ident, when Stephanie took his hand and looked at him expectantly when she was dying. "You must take good care of Jennifer. I''m begging you." James stepped on the brake and was about to unfasten his seat belt. "Mr. Hans, I''ll go to help..." "Just drive." Hans who was sitting at the back slowly uttered these words. His tone was cold as if the person being attacked was his enemy. He sounded like he wanted her to die on her own, because it would save him the trouble of dirtying his hands. James opened his mouth in surprise, but he did not dare to disobey Hans''s order. He fastened his seat belt again and hit the gas. The ck SUV slowly disappeared from the crowd. Jennifer watched as Hans''s eyes grew indifferent. His slowly rolling up the window showed her that he would not save her, and her expectations of him gradually burned to ashes. "Thud!" She felt a burning pain on her forehead, and the broken eggshells mixed with sticky eggs covered her eyes. She tried to wipe it off but the more she wiped, the messier it became. "You shameless bi*ch." Some people had begun to pull her clothes, and some people pulled her hair so hard that her face was distorted. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. "This was a misunderstanding. I don''t know Jackson at all." Jennifer screamed, she hurled her white handbag at the people around her. "That was a lie! We''ve checked. You have been pestering our Jackson since you were in school." Jennifer couldn''t defend herself. There was nothing she could do except to wave her handbag around to create a safety zone for herself while squinting. There were too many of them and they were unreasonable. They only wanted to pour the dirty water on her. They were fans, crazy and brainless fans. It was ironic that most of these fans were the source of ie for Joy Group''s film and television. Only they would impulsively purchase anything in order to support their idols at all costs. As people pulled on her, Jennifer was exhausted. Her hair came loose and scattered on her shoulders like a madman. Some people even cruelly pulled out her hair from the root. A sticky feeling soaked through her neck, and a gust of wind blew through which made her feel cold inside out. "Kill her! Kill her! What a shameless woman!" "Get rid of the trash for Jackson!" "What are you doing? Get out of here, we have already called the police." Finally, a security guard who couldn''t take it anymore came to stop them. Jennifer was in a mess and looking at this, the security guard handed her some tissues. "Miss Jennifer, do you want to go back to thepany and clean up first?" "No, thank you for your help." Jennifer wiped away the egg from her eyes and thanked the security guard. She endured the grievance and great disappointment and walked tiredly to the side of the road. She wanted to call a taxi, but it was peak hours. It was impossible to find a car in the central business district. When she finally got a taxi, she was pushed by a woman who came out of nowhere. The woman who was wearing a mask forced her way into the taxi. Jennifer staggered, lost her bnce, and fell to the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the woman in the mask was the first one who threw eggs at her. She was a mess and she had no energy to care about anyone. She supported herself on the ground, limped along the road, and waved for another taxi while walking. A group of security guards surrounded thepany main entrance. The manager of the security department frowned. Their boss asked them toe out to help, which just meant that they should disperse those troublemakers away. Anything else should not be their business, right? On the overpass in the city centre of California, cars formed a long queue during peak hours. This traffic jam was also one of the main characteristics of California. Inside the expensive ck SUV, James hung up the call in the car that was connected to the mobile phone, and then he slowly breathed a sigh of relief. "Manager of the security department has already dealt with it. That group of people came with malicious intent but when they heard that someone had called the police, they ran away. Secretary Jennifer was not injured." Hans casually answered, he didn''t seem to care about what James said. "Mr. Hans, you''re quite concerned about Secretary Jennifer, or else you wouldn''t have asked me to inform the security department. In that case, why did you..." "You talk a little too much today." The cold male voice from the back seat interrupted James''s words. In the rearview mirror, Hans''s side profile was cold as he looked at the traffic outside the window. A hint of hostility appeared between his brows. He didn''t know why, but he didn''t feel happy to see her being bullied like he thought he would. Instead, he felt suffocating. Jennifer was really a bane to him. California was one of the six major provinces in the country. The night light was buzzing as the sky grew dark. Neon lights on the side of the road gradually lit up. It was rainy and the rain fell on the car windows. Slowly, ayer of cold fog appeared in the distance. It waste autumn. The rain was piercing cold. Rose put on her mask and happily opened the door, thinking it was her food delivery. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Jennifer in a mess. Her ck zer and her white shirt were sopping wet. She was wet and sticky, and her long ck hair was stained with sharp fragments and goo, as if she had just climbed out of the trash can. "Jennifer?" Rose cried out in surprise, "What happened to you?" An hour ago when the call disconnected suddenly, Rose was worried but she thought maybe Jennifer''s phone suddenly ran out of battery. Jennifer was a very rational and organized person, and she would not let herself get into any dangerous situation. Plus it was only five o''clock at that time, which was just after work, Jennifer should be at the door of thepany. What could have happened with so many people around? Rose unlocked her door and hurriedly weed Jennifer in. She wanted to reach out to hold her but there was not a single spot on her that she could touch. "You... Ayyy..." Before she finished her words, she saw Jennifer was about to fall down. Rose quickly reached out to help her, and the sticky feeling made her grimace for a long time. "I don''t have any ce to go. Can I sleep here tonight, please?" Her voice was weak, as if she was mumbling to herself in a daze. Rose was stunned and instantly felt that something was amiss. She could not care less about being dirty and reached for Jennifer''s forehead. It was burning up. "You have a fever?" After saying this, Jennifer fell straight on her shoulder. Rose was small. If Jennifer weren''t so skinny, she would have fallen down with her. Rose cried out in surprise. Enduring the pungent smell in her nose, she pulled and dragged Jennifer with all her might before she finally got Jennifer into the bathtub. "Oh my God..." Chapter 32: Mumble in Her Dream Chapter 32: Mumble in Her Dream It took her a lot of effort to shower Jennifer, and it took her all her strength to move Jennifer from the bathroom to the bed. She was having such a high fever that Rose did not dare to sleep. After putting a cold towel on her head, Rose yawned and went into the bathroom to look at the clothes she was wearing. She pinched her nose and looked at the stinky business suit, thinking that she should just throw it away. However, when she looked at thebel at the back, she took a deep breath. The price of this suit was enough for her to buy clothes for half a year. She better not threw it away, it could be worn again after washing it. The cool towel ced on Jennifer''s forehead intermittently stimted her nerves. When she thought of the entanglement between her and Hans all these years, she felt more and more like she was in a dream and she had lost her rationality. She indulged herself in a half-dream state and repeatedly had the same dream. It started with what happened just now, where he left indifferently, disregarding her safety. Then the scene changed. At the edge of the cliff, he watched her fall into the abyss coldly and he left determinedly. "Hans... Han... Hans..." When Rose returned to the bed with a new towel, she heard Jennifer mumbling. She couldn''t help but mutter, "Why are you still thinking about Hans when you are running such high fever?" She was Jennifer''s ssmate in university. They had the same major, lived in the same dormitory, and joined the samepany after they graduated. She witnessed Jennifer who went from a lively girl to Secretary Jennifer who was sharp and rational at work. She also witnessed Jennifer full of expectations of Hans only to have her hopes shattered into pieces. The broken cell phone at the bedside seemed to light up for a second, but the screen was too broken to see what was going on. Rose changed the wet towel on her forehead andy on her hand, staring at Jennifer''s face. She had a lot of mixed feelings. She used to envy Jennifer the most when she was in university. Jennifer was beautiful, had a good temper, and she kept a low profile. She was polite to the people around her and wasn''t arrogant at all. If her parents hadn''t helped her move out when she graduated and bought her a limited edition white sports car as a graduation gift, no one would know that she was rich. The thing that made her envious the most was that she had an older brother who always sent her many delicious and fun things, and the whole dormitory got to enjoy it with her. Back then Rose didn''t know that Jennifer''s brother was actually Hans, and she also didn''t know that Hans was not her biological brother. She only remembered that every weekend, ady would call out using a loudspeaker from downstairs, "Jennifer from room 408, your brother''s gift has arrived. Come down and get it." Then, everyone in the dormitory would rush down, trying to take a look at her mystery brother. Although Jennifer kept a low profile, people could guess that her family was rich by the things she ate R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only and the way she dressed. She even had a brother who was single. Based on Jennifer''s appearance, the whole dormitory was looking forward to finally meeting him. However, Hans never came in person. He always asked someone else to bring the things here. They would leave the box in the lobby without any messages in it. However, the girls in the dormitory were not upset by it. After all, he was smart enough to send everything in quadruplicate. The girls would carry the boxes back to share the goods. There were many popr trinkets and imported snacks, just like a treasure box. It became something for the whole dorm to look forward to every week. It wasn''t until their graduation that Rose was fortunate enough to see Jennifer''s legendary brother from afar. They were taking graduation photos at the time. The two other girls in the dormitory packed up their things in advance and left with their parents after they took photos. After crying bitterly, Rose went to wash her face and went back to find Jennifer, only for her to see Jennifer''s parents taking pictures in front of the school buildings. "Are you looking for Jennifer? She just went that way, she saw her brothering." Stephanie smiled as she pointed toward the direction. So she finally got to see Hans from a distance and she was stunned. Sure enough, just like the legend of room 408, he was even more outstanding, handsome and extraordinary. His ck suitplemented his tall and muscr figure. Countlesspliments shed through Rose''s mind, and it finally turned into a sigh. "Comparisons are odious. Why can''t I be this lucky?" At the graduation party before this, Rose and Jennifer had a night chat. At that time, the other two roommates were drunk and unconscious. After a lot of talking, Jennifer was a little tipsy. She pointed to the stars in the sky, and she was drooling withughter. "Rose, my brother is more beautiful than the stars in the sky." Rose''s alcohol tolerance was good, but even those who didn''t get drunk easily had their own sadness, such as these drunkards in front of her. "Yes, your entire family is beautiful." "I especially like my brother. He is the best guy in the world." "Do you have a thing for your brother?" "No... He is not my real brother..." Jennifery on her shoulder, and her face was red. "Disappointing right? I know you guys are always dreaming of my brother. So I purposely won''t show him to you guys!" Rose did not know whether tough or cry and Jennifer, who was drunk, acted like a child. She will marry Hansy." "Fine, you will marry him..." Back then, even though Rose didn''t know what love was, she could see the love in Hans''s eyes. Even when he acted like he was giving Jennifer the cold shoulder, the way he looked at her made Rose admired for a long time. But then, how did it end up like this? She looked at Jennifer, who seemed like she was having a nightmare. She kept shouting, "Don''t go." Her face grimaced as if she was struggling. She couldn''t remember since when did Jennifer''s angel-like brother who used to be a ray of sunshine turned into a soul-crusher from hell. He was cold and ruthless, with gossips and women surrounding him. Hepletely destroyed Jennifer, inside and out. Over the years, she was the only witness to Jennifer''s pain. Her initial admiration gradually turned into aplicated feeling every time she saw the two of them. She still didn''t understand whether Hans loved Jennifer or not. If he loved her, how could he hurt her like this? If he didn''t love her, why won''t he just let her go and let her live her own life? After Jennifer''s cell phone stopped shing, Rose''s cell phone began to ring incessantly. It was the third call from Hans. She did not answer it and stared at the cell phone screen angrily instead. "You a*shole, I should let you worry and maybe you can reflect on yourself. "Where were you when your girlfriend was being injured? Now you knew you should be looking for her? I''m not going to pick up your call." Rose thought. Chapter 33: Punishing Playboy Chapter 33: Punishing yboy "Hansy... Don''t go." Rose grimaced looking at her hand as feverish Jennifer almost crushed her hand. She couldn''t help but still thinking about another man. You are so heartless." The mobile phone on the carpet by her side had stopped ringing. Hans had always thought that he was better than everyone else. Rose thought that it was nothing short of a miracle that he would even call her three times. As Rose''s home was shrouded in sadness, on the other side of California, in a famous hotel apartment, a tall andnky man had just returned from the concert today, and he looked tired. For so many years, he had been working hard abroad and he finally had the ability to be financially independent of his family. He wanted toe back and be with Jennifer at all costs, but things didn''t go his way. When he came back, she was no longer there. His agent, Bastain and his assistant moved the gifts from the fans to the living room of the apartment. One of the gifts was especially eye-catching. It was a huge ck box as tall as a person, and it required two assistants to carry in. Bastain''s eagle eye noticed the logo on the ck box. "Wow, is this a musical instrument sent by a rich fan? This brand is 100% hand-made and it''s not cheap. They only make a few instruments each year." The female assistant smiled and shook her head. "These fans, when they like you, they will give you everything. But they can also be cruel beyond your imagination." Bastain knew what she was talking about. He let out a hollowugh and turned to open the ck box. The masterfully made guitar looked particrly grandeur in the ck wooden box, revealing its ssical elegance. "Jackson,e and have a look. This is a really good guitar." Jackson was also a musical instrument lover. He saw this guitar in Italy a long time ago. At that time, he left in a hurry and did not have time to buy it. When he returned, the shop had already sold it. Now it suddenly appeared here, and he had no idea who went through all these troubles for him. His vexation seemed to have subsided a little. He got up from the sofa and walked to the ck box, reaching out to touch the smooth strings of the guitar. "Bastain, check which fan sent it and pay them back." After all, it was worth tens of thousands of dors. He couldn''t let his fans spend that money. Bastain was used to it and said, "Look at you, other people like to receive gifts from their fans, but you''re too pretentious. If the gifts are a little expensive, you wanted to give them their money back. Don''t you remember that wealthy fan in America that sent you a sports carst time? You asked me to return the car to her and she burned the car right away, saying that if you didn''t like it, then the car was worthless. What a waste of money." Jackson was in a daze and he did not refute. Some fans were still too young, so it was easy for them to get obsessed with someone and do something irrational. After all, they were his fans, so he indulged them most of the time. The female assistant sighed. "Burning a car was nothing. I think the fans now are worse. Remember the woman Jackson hugged at thest concert? She was almost beaten to death by the fans today..." Bastain tried to gesture her to stop talking, but Jackson already heard every single word she said. He suddenly stood up straight and nced at the assistant and his agent. "What did you say?" The female assistant nced at Bastain, who was desperately signalling her to stop, feeling a little confused. "What did they do to Jennifer?" Jackson''s voice turned cold. "..." Bastain frowned and avoided Jackson''s gaze. "It''s gettingte. Go to bed early and keep a distance from your fans..." Before he could finish his words, he felt his chest tighten and Jackson pulled him up by the cor of his shirt till he was barely standing on the ground. The anger in Jackson''s eyes was petrifying. He looked like a devil since his eyes were red from staying up all night at the concert. "You knew about it?" He roared. "Jackson..." The female assistant screamed. "This has nothing to do with us... It has nothing to do with Bastain too, really!" Bastain was out of breath and said intermittently, "The fans decided to find out who she was... They found her workce and that she had a flirty rtionship with her boss." However, it was Bastain who leaked the news that Jennifer and Jackson were in the same high school N?velDrama.Org holds this content. and Jennifer pursued him the whole time. He did not dare to tell Jackson this. Jackson loosened his grip and let Bastain go. Bastain held his chest and coughed for a long time, unable to shake away the chilliness in his eyes. "Jackson, it was the fans..." The female assistant wanted to say something, but when she met with Jackson cold gaze, she immediately shut up and choked on her words. Out of the corner of Jackson''s eyes, he saw the guitar in the ck box. Out of anger, he grabbed the guitar and threw it on the coffee table. Everyone in the room grimaced as the guitar strings snapped. Both the ss coffee table and the guitar were damaged, leaving the shattered guitar and the broken ss on the ground. A precious masterpiece was ruined just like that. Bastain was so upset that the corners of his mouth were twitching. He could not help but say, "For a woman, you..." Jackson red at him and everyone went silent. Bastain opened his mouth but didn''t dare to say anything in the end. "Cancel tomorrow''s schedule," he said before entering the bedroom. The female assistant had never seen Jackson so authoritative. She was stunned for a while before she asked, "Jackson, do you have ast-minute n?" "I''m going to find Jennifer." A depressing voice came from the bedroom, full of guilt and uneasiness. The female assistant looked at the agent next to her. "Who on earth is this Jennifer? Wasn''t she just some woman Jackson helped at the concert and sent to the medical tent? Why does it seem like Jackson had known her for a long time?" Bastain red at her and said, "Mind your mouth. You''d better pretend you did not see or hear anything today." The assistant was stunned and hesitantly said. "Then... What should we do? There will be another concert tomorrow night." Bastain touched his chin and frowned, then came up with something. "Don''t worry, I have a n." If he couldn''t even handle this well, then he wouldn''t have been the top agent for a superstar like Jackson. After the hotel''s cleaner came over and cleaned the room, he knocked on the bedroom door. "Jackson... open the door. I have something to tell you." "... " There was no movement in the room as if Jackson had already fallen asleep. Bastain frowned and his voice grew serious. "Desmond Whitney, if you want Jennifer to escape from your crazy fans, you''d better open the door for me." Desmond Whitney was Jackson''s real name. The Desmond Whitney who belonged to Jennifer ten years ago. Chapter 34: Resilience Forged by Fire Chapter 34: Resilience Forged by Fire Bastain''s hand had not yet touched the door when the door opened with a click, a gap appeared between the white door and the door frame, revealing the dim light inside. Jackson stood behind the door in a simple beige pyjama, holding the door handle with one hand and staring at him with a frown. "What is it?" Lonely nights were always endless. The wind blew through the windows, making bleak sounds as if someone was singing their pain away. Some were drunk, some sober, and some seemed sober, but they were drunk on the street. The next morning, Jennifer woke up quietly as Rose had just bought breakfast back. If Rose hadn''t sat by the bedside all night and felt very ufortable, she wouldn''t have gotten up so early in the morning. She also especially went to buy breakfast for Jennifer. As soon as she put down the breakfast, she saw someone with dishevelled hairing out of the bedroom. "Hey, this appearance is good enough to apply for a job at the haunted house and they wouldn''t even need to put make-up on you." Rose had always been straightforward, and she did not sleep wellst night, so it was normal for her to be a little grumpy now. There was a full-length mirror in the corner of the living room, which happened to reflect Jennifer''s unkempt look. She looked like the ghost from The Ring, except that she came out of the bedroom instead of the TV. "Last night... I..." "You called Hans''s name all nightst night. That was kind of annoying." Hearing Hans''s name, Jennifer''s heart sank and her face turned pale. The scene from yesterday afternoon yed in her head again. Her fingers trembled and she couldn''t help clenching her fists, suppressing the sadness in her heart. Seeing her sad face, Rose couldn''t bear to hurt her again. She took out a cup of coffee and some bread from a bag. "You should rest for a day if you are not feeling well. I will help you apply for leave when I go to work. Don''t mess around. There are some oatmeal and bread on the table. You should eat some before you go back to bed." Jennifer frowned and looked up at the clock on the wall. It was 7:30 and she still had time to get ready. "There''s no need for that, I''ll go to work as usual." "You were burning upst night, don''t force yourself." Rose rolled her eyes at Jennifer as she changed her shoes at the entrance and kept on nagging. "I''m not Hans. You don''t have to pretend to be strong in front of me. I have known you for eight years, and I know exactly what you''re going to do. I know you''re worried about Hans picking a fight with you, but you can''t ignore your own well-being. You don''t know how to take care of yourself. What''s so good about that scumbag? Speaking of this, she wanted to vent her anger and cursed again. "If I had known this would happen, I would resign directly instead of going to the secretary office. I don''t care how much money they offer, this is too frustrating." When she graduated from university, Jennifer was still close with Hans, so she and Rose went to the Joy Group for internships. Originally, only Jennifer worked as a secretary, and Rose worked in the HR department. Later, when her rtionship with Hans turned bad, Rose was transferred to the secretary department for no reason and she reced an experienced secretary who had been working there for years. No one knew what Hans was thinking but Jennifer felt like she had dragged Rose into this mess. After all, being a secretary didn''t seem like a promising career. She didn''t care about herself, but Rose still needed to support herself. After the personnel transfer, she wanted to go to talk to Hans, but she was stopped by Rose. Hans gave her a high sry to be a secretary. Rose wouldn''t be able to earn that much even if she had worked for ten years at her old department. At that time, Rose did not know that the rtionship between Hans and Jennifer had deteriorated. She even thought they would get married soon and she benefitted as Jennifer''s best friend. Jennifer stood and hesitantly twisted the lower hem of her pyjamas, which made Rose anxious. "Alright, alright,e and let me check. I will let you go if the fever is gone." Jennifer was stubborn. If she didn''t let her go, she might still tidy herdelf and leave after Rose had left too. It was better to promise her directly to prevent any trouble. Rose just came back from the outside, and her hands were a little cold. She rubbed her hand before putting them on her forehead andpared them with herself. She sighed, "You recover fast, are you naturally resilient to torture?" In the end, she was unable to stop her. In the Joy Group, Jennifer knocked on the door of the president''s office right after she put down her bag in her office. "Come in." Hans sounded calm as if nothing was wrong. Jennifer hurried into the office and closed the door. Since she was in a hurry to exin, she did not notice that there was something different in the office today. In the office, Hans was sitting behind the desk, his ck shirt was unbuttoned at the top, showing his solid chest, and his slender fingers tapped on the keyboard. He was strangely calm when he saw Jennifer. However, the calmer he was, the more scared Jennifer became. "Last night, I..." "Hans, can I use your towel?" Before she finished speaking, a soft voice interrupted her. Jennifer was very familiar with this voice. She turned around and saw a woman in a bathrobe leaning against the bathroom door in Hans''s office. The white bathrobe was tied loosely around her waist and her wavy, chestnut colour hair hung on her N?velDrama.Org holds this content. shoulder. Her delicate face always showed her charm. She was holding a beige towel with her bright red nails and looking at Jennifer''s direction delicately. When she saw Jennifer''s face, she was stunned for a moment, but it was too sudden and it felt like an act. "Ayy... Why is there someone here..." She had been standing at the door of the bathroom for a long time. She had already known that Jennifer came in, but she still acted surprised. At that moment, Jennifer was not concerned about Monica''s pretentiousness, but about what happened between Hans and Monica that made her wear a bathrobe in the office. "Why are you here?" She asked uncontrobly. Hearing this, Monica was slightly stunned and she looked at Hans. "Of course it''s because Hans needs me, so I''m here." "This is the office, Miss Monica, pay attention to how you act." Jennifer felt as if a ball of fire was going to burst out from her chest. She tried to suppress it, but there was no way to calm it down. "Secretary Jennifer, don''t forget your ce." Hans slowly opened his mouth, and his voice was so cold it felt like the dead of winter. Wanting to hurt Jennifer even more, he looked at Monica flirtily and said, "I don''t need you toment on my personal life, do I, Secretary Jennifer?" Chapter 35: Faking It Chapter 35: Faking It "That''s right." Monica saw Hans''s gaze and she was overjoyed. She nodded in agreement and took the opportunity to walk out of the bathroom seductively. She passed by the desk and walked barefoot to Hans. Jennifer was trembling all over, but she tried to be reserved and keep calm. "Mr. Hans, this is the office. You should pay attention to your action. If necessary, I''ll ask Miss Monica to leave." She never believed that Hans would sleep with another woman, even though the scene in front of her was already unbearable. Hans was a bit of a neat freak. He must be faking it with a woman like Monica. "Oh?" Hans looked at her with a sarcastic tone. "What right do you have to ask my guest to leave?" "Come on, I''m not a guest." ... "Do you want to watch live, Secretary Jennifer?" Jennifer''s eyes were slightly reddened. She clenched her fingers, turned around and ran out. No matter how lowly she thought of herself, she knew that there was no need to stay in a situation like this. Hans really didn''t take her seriously. Just like he said, she was just someone he slept with. She was not important to him. She didn''te home all night and he didn''t even ask who she was with. Maybe his indifference meant that he was already tired of her even as a sex partner. Rose was just going back to their office with a cup of coffee when she saw Jennifer stumbled out of the president''s office, and her eyes were red. "Jennifer..." Before she could speak, Jennifer took a stack of documents from the desk and turned to leave. The tone of her voice was strange, "There''s a problem with the report from the finance department, I will send it to them." "We can just call them and ask them to pick it up themselves..." While she spoke, Jennifer had already run away. Rose looked at the closed door of the president''s office in confusion. "What''s going on? "Did Hans scold her again early in the morning?" She thought. Having sex in the office with the secretary watching was amon kink among rich people. Unexpectedly, even Hans was into it. Such a cliche suddenly became a blessing for Monica. Since they were already at this point, it was better to go with the flow. She was overjoyed when Hans called her here early in the morning, but he suddenly asked her to take a bath first and that made her feel a little embarrassed. It was as if he thought she wasn''t clean enough. Now the ambience was good and she had not taken a bath either, it was not a big deal. However, Hans suddenly grabbed her fingers with a sh of disgust in his eyes. "Leave." He ordered coldly. "You go back first. I have something to do." His voice was extremely cold, and Monica couldn''t figure out what he was thinking. She felt uneasy and carefully scratched the back of his hand with her fingertips. "I''m not dressed yet..." Hans only said coldly, "Then put on your clothes and leave." Her dream was shattered just like that. When Monica left, she was puzzled. He was the one who asked her toe over, but in the end, she left after stripping down and got nothing. As she was leaving, she began to put together what had happened. Hans did not reject her advances, he even admired her as she took off all her clothes. Then he suddenly asked her to take a bath, and before she could take a bath, Secretary Jennifer came in. He purposely called her over and took off her bathrobe, but when Secretary Jennifer left, he suddenly said that he was not interested. What was the problem here? She couldn''t figure it out, but she never thought it was rted to Jennifer. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. After Monica left, Hans turned on hisputer and clicked into today''s trending news. Early morning yesterday, Jackson suddenly published a statement exining what happened at the concert that day. "At my concert on Saturday evening, I saw a fan who fell down near the stage in the VIP area because of the crowd. Out of my love for my fans, I helped her. I didn''t expect it would cause so much trouble for her. There was a lot of news recently, so I wanted to exin the situation and hope my dear fans would think rationally. No matter who was injured that day, I would have helped them regardless. This is not an exception, but my love for my fans." He included a picture of the medical report from the doctor with Jennifer''s personal information redacted. Whether it was true or not, since Jackson already replied to the incident in person, his fans would have to listen to him even if they didn''t listen to other people. What''s more, their idol did not announce their rtionship. Instead, he rified that they were not rted. Many fans wereforted by the fact that Jackson referred to Jennifer as a fan. Instantly, most of the fans turned on each other and even started to attack several bloggers who had fabricated the truth and turned the public opinion against Jennifer. Overnight, the news changed. The scheming woman who was originally hated by everyone suddenly became the lucky girl who was favoured by her idol, and an innocent victim at the same time. Many fans also left messages on Rose''s Instagram saying that they apologized to her on behalf of those irrational fans, hoping that she would still like Jackson. "I''ve seen this girl at the concert. She''s very elegant, just as pretty as a celebrity. In fact, she would be a good match with Jackson." "She caught Jackson''s attention twice. Maybe she really will have a chance in the future. I also want to fall down at the concert haha." "I''ve met her before too. She is exactly Jackson''s type, he mentioned it in an interview." "... " Looking at thements on Rose''s Instagram, Hans looked more and more serious. Chapter 36: Touch up Your Makeup Chapter 36: Touch up Your Makeup When Jennifer returned to the secretary''s office, her eyes were red and swollen, it was obvious that she had been crying. Looking at the documents still in her hand, Rose felt that Jennifer probably wasn''t very bright. She took out apact powder from her bag and handed it to Jennifer. She asked with concern, "Are you okay? Go touch up your makeup." Jennifer took thepact powder, clenched her teeth, and began to apply the powder under her red and swollen eyes. "I''m fine." "Oh, really? What about the report you wanted to send to the finance department?" She was stunned and hurriedly closed thepact powder. "I''ll go now." She said that she was going to deliver the report, but halfway through she couldn''t help but run into the bathroom to cry. She was afraid that someone might hear her so she had to bite her lips. She had "Forget it, I''ll go. Mr. Hans wants to see you." Rose looked at the president''s office with concern. "He just made an internal call. Since you''re not here, I picked it up for you. You... Was it because you did not go backst night? I''ll exin it to him for you." "It''s not about that. It''s nothing." Jennifer did not want Rose to get involved, so she quickly refused, "Send the report for me, thank you." "Don''t mention it." She took the document and turned to leave, but when she reached the door, she looked back at Jennifer uneasily. "If anything happens, call for me at any time. I''m not afraid of anything." When she saw Monicaing out with a proud look just now, she knew that something was wrong. Jennifer must have seen something just now when she was in there, that was why she was so upset. "Okay, go ahead. I''m fine." After Rose left, Jennifer took a deep breath, clenched her fingers and walked into the president''s office. She was wearing Rose''s work clothes, and Rose was smaller than her. She managed to pick a few white shirt that was too tight on her chest. Fortunately, it was covered by the zer that was matching the skirt, so it was not too obvious. Walking into the office, she felt a chill. "Jennifer, you have a good rtionship with your old lover, huh? Look at him protecting you over such a trivial matter. How can you pretend to be so depressed just now? You are really good at acting." Jennifer had no idea what he was talking about. She only felt that he was just looking for trouble. Thinking of the scene just now, she was furious. Although Monica was not there, the smell of her perfume remained. She asked in a trembling voice, "You and Monica slept together, didn''t you?" Seeing that she did not answer his question, but asked him a question back in an aggressive manner instead, Hans''s face suddenly sank. "Do you think you have the right to decide who I sleep with? Who do you think you are? Mrs. Miller or Miss Miller?" His words made Jennifer speechless. "Remember, you are Jennifer Hunter. Since my father and your mother have passed away, you are neither Miss Miller nor a Mrs. Miller. You were the one who willingly climbed into my bed. I got tired of you after a while, it''s okay to try someone new for a change, don''t you think?" She didn''t know when did her palm filled with fingernail marks. Jennifer bit her lips and still couldn''t control her trembling. Her legs went numb and she couldn''t move. She wanted to escape from this ce and didn''t want to listen to Hans''s words anymore. "Then change it, and never change it back again." By the time she finished speaking, she had already burst into tears. Her sacrifice over the past half a year seemed to have be a huge joke. She had hoped that he would change his mind and go back to being gentle to her just like in the past. However, all she got in return was his indifference. At first, she thought he was just saying. After all, she had lived with him for so many years, and she knew that he always sounded harsh but was actually soft-hearted. However, he became so cold now and she dared not get close to him. A trace of anger shed past Hans''s face. "What did you say? Say it again." "I regretted it, Hans. Even if I provoked you first and you wanted to punish me, I could ept it. I just thought that you cared about me, even just a little. But now I understand, I''m just too stupid." Jennifer clenched her fingers, letting her nails sink into the flesh and leaving blood-red marks, but it still couldn''t relieve the pain in her heart when she said these words. "So it''s over. You''re tired of me and I don''t want to bother you anymore." For so many years, she was the one pestering him. She had been repenting for her sins, apologizing for taking advantage when he was drunk, and for telling old Mrs. Miller that she wanted to marry him without him knowing. Who knew that in the end, they would hate each other and torture each other. "Hah." Hansughed coldly. "How could you think that I care about you? I really don''t know who gave you that impression." "Yes, it''s gone now. I can see clearly now." Jennifer raised her head, and her tearful eyes had dried up. She looked at Hans without any emotion. "I''m going to stop pestering you." She turned around and walked to the door without asking Hans permission. Her voice was muffled and gradually drifted away. "Mr. Hans, I''m not feeling well today. I need to take half a day off." Looking at her back, Hans was at a loss and he suddenly jumped up from his chair without thinking. "Who says you can go?" After an angry roar, Jennifer''s hand, which was about to open the door, was violently grabbed and pulled up in the air. She spun half a circle and turned to face Hans. Hans stared down at her from above, his eyes were cold. "Where are you going? Are you going to see your old lover?" "Mr. Hans, since my rtionship with you is over, I have the freedom to see whoever I want to." It was the first time that Jennifer spoke to Hans with such confidence. Her voice was weak, which did not sound intimidating, but it made Hans furious. He pulled Jennifer to the desk and threw her on the edge of the desk, ignoring her face grimacing in pain. Then he grabbed her hands that were moving wildly and mmed them on the desk behind her. "You haven''t seen enough of your old loverst night? You miss him already after just one morning apart?" Such humiliation had made Jennifer feel numb. His suspicious and fickle nature had shattered her into pieces, like a lifeless doll that can be abandoned anywhere. "Let go of me." She eximed in pain. Her two arms behind her felt like they were being twisted off. Her butt hit the edge of the desk and the pain made her almost speechless. Before she could finish her sentence, her lips were sealed by a kiss without any emotion. It enveloped From N?velDrama.Org. her lips as if it was venting, wrapped around her and pierced through her. "Oh..." Her eyes sparkled. Hans snorted, and for a moment, she broke free. "Smack" The sound reverberated through the entire office. Chapter 37: Don鈥檛 Touch Me Chapter 37: Don¡¯t Touch Me He felt a burning pain on his face. He raised his hand and wiped away a trace of bright red blood on his lips with the back of his hand. She bit him and pped him. This was the first time she put up such fierce resistance. She panicked looking at her hand that pped him and staggered backwards. However, there was nowhere to go, arge desk blocked her way. Hans was enraged by her resistance. He smiled coldly with blood on his lips, it was chilling. Jennifer screamed as he dragged her over and pushed her onto the desk. After a loud bang, everything on the table, including theptop fell to the floor. "Don''t touch me, you are dirty..." She struggled and screamed, unwilling to be touched by Hans. Upon hearing this, Hans remembered how she had note home all night and how Jackson had suddenly cleared things up today. Thinking that she might have already met up with her old lover in privatest night, his eyes suddenly became bloodshot without any sympathy. "Dirty? Let me see how clean you are." R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! He didn''t stop. Her sobs became weaker and weaker... Her back rubbed against the desk. At first, it was still painful, but after a while, the sweats made it sticky. It was as if her skin and flesh were no longer hers. The feeling of numbness gradually spread throughout her body, including the look she gave Hans. Afterwards, Hans sat on the sofa to clean up. Without support, Jennifer slipped from the desk and slumped on the ground with limp legs. Her hair was disheveled and her clothes were messy, as if she just escaped from a disaster. "Go take a shower. I''ll find someone to bring some clothes in for you." There were only such conversations left between them. She sat there for a long time until Hans urged her impatiently. "Why are you still sitting here? Waiting for someone to see you like this so you can leverage your way into bing my wife?" She bit her lip and held onto the corner of the table, gathering her strength little by little. She did not dare to speak, fearing that she would cry as soon as she opened her mouth. She staggered into the bathroom, closed the door, soaked herself in the bathtub, and finally burst into tears. Hearing the faint cry from the bathroom, there was a trace of guilt in Hans''s eyes. He stared at the bathroom door for a moment, then got up and picked up the car key and her pink zer on the floor. As he picked up the car key, he saw theptop at the side. When he saw Jackson''s gentle and handsome face, he felt a chill run down his spine. He dialled the internal line with a sullen face. "Go to the mall to buy a women suit and send it here." Rose looked confused on the other end of the line. "Now?" "Yes." "What size? Am I buying it for a customer or..." After asking that, Rose''s facial expression suddenly changed. "Is it for Jennifer?" Jennifer had been in there for a long time withouting out, and now she needed new clothes... "I''ll give you half an hour, a full set of clothes." After saying that, Hans hung up. "A full set of clothes." The way Hans emphasised these words made Rose assume the worse. When she was first transferred to the secretary''s office, she got a raise and the job was easy, so she was quite happy about it. However, after a long time, she gradually realised that there was no one else in thepany who could do this job. If it were anyone else, the rtionship between Jennifer and Hans would be exposed. With Hans''s attitude, it would definitely bring a lot of trouble for Jennifer. So she was actually shielding Jennifer and Hans from the rest of thepany. She didn''t mind being the shield initially, but Hans was getting more and more aggressive. She didn''t expect Hans would do this in the office. Rose''s face was stiff with anger. If she weren''t so worried about Jennifer, she would have gone in and grabbed Hans by his cor and shook some sense into him. Twenty minutester, she came back from the mall with a business suit and knocked on the door of the president''s office. "I''ve bought the clothes. Where is Jennifer?" "In the bathroom." Hans didn''t even look up. He sat on the sofa looking at hisptop. The desk was messy, and the floor was full of documents and some dubious tissues. He obviously forced himself on her. Rose''s face went stiff and she stomped her feet. Not wanting to waste time arguing with Hans, she took the bag and went straight to the bathroom, knocking on the door lightly. "Jennifer, are you inside? I brought you some clothes." A weak voice came from inside after a long time. "Just leave it by the door, thank you." The voice was so weak that she could barely hear it. Rose suppressed her anger, pulled open the door, and stuffed the bag into the bathroom. There was a rustling sounding from inside as Jennifer put on clothes. Rose stood by the door and waited helplessly. She couldn''t imagine what Jennifer would be like if she was forced to do something like that here. Chapter 38: A Huge Mess and a Broken Heart Chapter 38: A Huge Mess and a Broken Heart The bathroom door slowly pulled open. It was not loud, but it sounded deafening to Rose. She bought Jennifer a white dress with V-necks and a ck zer. The neckline was not very revealing, but even as Jennifer covered her chest with an open palm, she still could not cover the many bruises. "Having sex might leave some marks, but what is it with so many bruises? "This man has gone crazy, how could he be so aggressive?" Rose thought. "Hans, are you crazy?" Rose immediately turned towards the coffee table and shouted at Hans. "Rose, I... am fine." There was a faint voice behind her. Rose still wanted to say something, but she was stopped by Jennifer. "Let''s go, we still have work to do." "F*ck work..." Rose was really irritated today. Seeing Jennifer''s timid look, she got even angrier. When she was about to argue with Hans, suddenly there was a knock on the door. The cleaner came in and looked at them dubiously. "Mr. Hans, Mr. James asked me to clean here." "Hm." Hans snorted indifferently. Rose felt her wrist lightened and Jennifer had already run out with her head down. She staggered and swayed as if she could fall at any moment. Looking at the back of Jennifer, Rose''s eyes turned red. "Please go out for a while, I have something to say to Mr. Hans." The cleaner nced at Rose in surprise, and then looked at Hans as if asking for his permission. Hans frowned and was about to say no when Rose add. "It''s necessary for me to give you an exnation for what happenedst night. I should also let you know what you''ve missed or what you''ve misunderstood." Her words were vague. The cleaner was scared to death upon hearing that. She had worked there for a long time and she had never seen anyone talk to Mr. Hans like this. This secretary must be crazy. Hans nced at her and she hurried out of the office. After the cleaner left, Rose stood there with a cold face. She clenched her fist to give herself confidence and asked coldly, "Why do you treat Jennifer like this? You know that the person she cares about most in the world is you. You are her only family now." Hearing this, Hans stared at her with a little contempt. "Oh? She cares about me the most? Did she stay out all nightst night for me? Did she cut ties with me this morning for me too?" Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Rose was stunned for a moment. Firstly, she was surprised that Hans had misunderstood what happenedst night, which meant he still cared about her. Secondly, if Jennifer dared to say such words to Hans, she must have suffered a lot. Rose couldn''t help but feel even more furious. "Hans, don''t think that you can just do whatever you want because you are rich. Just because she didn''t go homest night doesn''t mean that she met her old lover. Where were you when she was attacked by Jackson''s fans in front of the office? Where were you when she came to my house in the rain and had a fever all night? She cuts ties with you? You motherf*cker, if she doesn''t cut ties with you then what else should she do? Cut herself?" When he heard that Jennifer was at Rose''s house, Hans''s yful expression froze. The more he listened, the darker his face became. His cold eyes nced at Rose as if he didn''t believe her. He clenched his fingers and said, "Lying for your friend to help her, your friendship is really touching." "Bullsh*t!" Rose was trembling with anger because of his stubbornness, and she couldn''t help but shout at Hans fiercely. "She had a fever of 39.7 degrees Celsiusst night and I couldn''t wake her up. She was calling out your name the whole night, and I was disgusted for a whole night. I thought it would have been worthwhile if you could realize how important she is to you. I didn''t expect you to be so heartless." Hans nced at her coldly, and his freezing gaze made her tremble. She gritted her teeth and shouted in one go, "F*ck you. I''ll say it even if you re at me. Worste to worst, I''ll quit this job. You scum, my bestie is such a good person but you don''t want her. If you don''t want her, then let her go, there are plenty of people who would fight for her. If you''re really not interested in her, don''t lead her on anymore. I will thank you on behalf of her parents for letting her go." It took all her courage to say that. Rose pinched her hand, tried to look calm, and strode out of the office. She didn''t care if Hans still had something to say to her and walked out of the office with her head held high. Hans was left with a mess and aplicated feeling. "I misunderstood her." He thought. He looked down at the wrinkled pink coat at his feet, and his mind began to rey what happened on the desk just now. He aggressively upied her body, and when she looked up at him, her eyes gradually turned numb and disappointed, as if she no longer had any hope for him. James walked in quietly. He was supposed to pick up the personnel changes form after Hans had signed it, but when he saw the mess on the floor, he was stunned. When he received the call from Hans, he immediately called the cleaner. However, it seemed that the cleaner hadn''t got here. Plus, Rose just rolled her eyes at him at the door, which was weird. "Mr. Hans, the cleaner..." "I asked her to go out first." Hans nced at him emotionlessly. "It''s alright, ask her to clean it after work." James nodded in a daze. The office was a mess, there was nowhere to look at. He saw a pile of documents at the corner of the table, which was the one he sent in the morning, so he picked them up. Hans had already signed it. James opened the ck folder and saw this sentence clearly. "Termination letter for gross negligence. Jane Maddow, assistant of the Finance Department." James nced at Hans. He was sitting on the sofa with hisptop, but he was clearly absent-minded. James wondered what he was thinking. "Mr. Hans, Jane, the assistant of the finance department still doesn''t know that she had been fired. Should I make a call to inform her before the announcement is released?" Last time, Hans gave her a week off and she went home happily with the subsidy she got from the financial department. When she signed, she didn''t even notice that it was a termination subsidy. If they didn''t inform her, she would probably stille to work happily next Monday. Hans didn''t reply to his question. James reminded carefully, "Mr. Hans?" Hans came to his senses and nced at him emotionlessly as if he didn''t hear what James just said, he only replied, "It''s up to you." Chapter 39: You Can Cut Ties When You Want To Chapter 39: You Can Cut Ties When You Want To Rose came out of the office and happened to see James. She didn''t have a good impression of James because of Hans. Moreover, she thought that she was likely to get fired after what she did, so she wasn''t in a good mood. When James looked at her, she rolled her eyes at him. Jennifer was sitting in the secretary office. In her notebook was the stock trend of the day for Joy Group and a few other mediapanies. She was taking notes with her head down. She was so focused on her work that if you ignored her swollen eyes, it was as if she wasn''t just being bullied. Rose sighed. Why was she the one more anxious than Jennifer? "Jennifer, what are you going to do in the future?" Jennifer didn''t look up as if trying to cover up her pale face. She said lightly, "Continue working and living." "I''m asking about you and Hans. Didn''t you say you''re going to cut ties with him?" Rose mmed her hands on the desk imposingly. "Don''t tell me you changed your mind. You have to be insistent when you want to cut ties, it''s not like he can kidnap you!" Jennifer felt her temples twitch. She was unwilling to talk about this now. When she heard Hans''s name, she felt her legs go limp and couldn''t help clenching her fingers forcefully with her fingertips. The pencil broke and the tipnded on the folder at the side. It spun around a few times before sliding down andnding on the floor. Then, it rolled to the corner. Seeing that she looked at the pen in silence, Rose anxiously said, "Hey, I stacked my career on this and you are still so indecisive! Are you trying to piss me off?" Jennifer was in a daze, she spoke after a long time. "People can always cut ties if they want to. If they can''t break it, they probably just don''t want to." She was still looking at the pen like she was talking to herself. Rose was not good atnguage. She hated all these artsy things since she was a child. She was confused by what Jennifer said and she looked impatient. "What''s that? You are just thinking too much. In my opinion, the two of you are just looking for trouble. If you don''t cause any trouble every day, both of you will feel ufortable..." Thinking of how she was about to lose her job because of this but Jennifer was still the same as before, being abused by Hans willingly, Rose felt that it was not worth risking her job to stand up for Jennifer. She was contemting to rush into the office and apologized to Hans to save her job. As they were talking, someone knocked on the ss door of the secretary''s office. Rose and Jennifer looked up and saw Scott, the deputy manager of the HR department, standing at the door with a document in his arms. He was dressed in a suit, looking handsome and well-dressed. Rose froze. "I just shouted at Hans and now HR is already here to talk about my resignation? "His is too revengeful." Rose thought. "Secretary Jennifer, Secretary Rose, we have already emailed every department about the personnel resignation notice..." "Wait a minute..." Rose interrupted Scott. "I need to be mentally prepared." Scott was taken aback. "You... need to be mentally prepared? This..." He just got the quarterly personnel change document from James and HR had just designed the quarterly recruitment n. He was just going to show it to someone in the secretary office beforeN?velDrama.Org holds this content. handing it over to Hans for his signature. "Why not? You will understand how I feel now when this happens to you someday." Rose reluctantly looked at her table that was covered in celebrities merchandise. Every day, except for picking up the internal phone calls and going back and forth between the President''s office and the secretary''s office, she didn''t have much else to do. She was not as hardworking as Jennifer who would also make revisions and notes for her subordinates. Rose would basically just send the documents back to the department if something was wrong. Every department always wanted to take advantage of other people so her strong temper was actually good for her. Most importantly, where else could she find a job with a monthly sry of 20,000 dors. "The personnel resignation notice..." Scott was anxious to settle the matter in the morning. He was puzzled to see Rose being sad. "Alright, stop it. I know, I know, I''ll pack up my things by myself..." She interrupted Scott again, walked to her table and reluctantly said goodbye to her desk. She cursed Hans up and down in her head and looked like she was about to cry. "Huh?" Scott waspletely at a loss. "Secretary Rose, why are you packing up? Are you taking leave in the afternoon? Should I ask Secretary Jennifer to sign my file?" He asked Rose for help because he saw Jennifer was busy just now. Rose came to her senses for a moment, " My signature?" However, she became defeated again. "I have to sign the resignation report myself, right?" Scott thought that Rose was going to check the procedure, so he said hurriedly, "The procedures were done, everyone else who resigned has already signed the paper, except for Jane from the finance department who was fired. So because of this, HR has re-established this quarterly recruitment n. We need Mr. Hans to sign it." Rose was still deep in the sadness of losing her job, she muttered, "Everyone has signed it except for me..." Before she could finish her words, she realised something from Scott''s words. She stopped and asked, "What did you say? What are you sending?" "Quarterly... quarterly recruitment n..." Scott was young and had just be the deputy manager. He did not dare to offend the secretaries. When he saw Rose suddenly red at him, he was so scared that he stuttered. Jennifer was made speechless by the mimunication between the two of them. She had read the resignation notice from Scott in her email just now. Rose''s name was not on it. Rose was imagining things and she scared Scott half to death. At this moment, Rose couldn''t restrain herself but cheered out loud after she survived this ordeal. She took Scott''s documents and patted his shoulder to guarantee him. "I''ll send this in as soon as possible, and then I''ll send the documents to the HR department!" Scott was frightened and thought that she had an ulterior motive. "No, no, I''ll just take it myself" Like he was a rabbit staring at a wolf. Just as Scott was about to leave, Jennifer looked at the list of resignation notices in the email. She looked absent-minded. "Scott, why is Jane Maddow fired?" Joy Group did not have a precedent of firing people. Even if someone did something wrong and the first and let them resign themselves. In that case, the person would feel better and it would look better on their resume. Being fired from Joy Group, such a record was enough to ruin her future in this industry. Scott shrugged and seemed to know nothing about it. "I''m not sure. James personally came to HR to inform us. She probably offended Mr. Hans." Chapter 40: The So-Called Redemption Chapter 40: The So-Called Redemption The reason for Jane''s termination was particrly harsh. "Frequent mistakes at work leading to errors in the finance data, causing a drop in efficacy. After much consideration, she will be dismissed. Nowadays, the personnel files were all standardized on an online server. With such a record, no "Is there any problem?" Scott asked at the door. Jennifer came out of her daze. "No, I''m just asking." Jennifer remembered her conflict with Jane that just happened yesterday. Hans had no intention of defending her. Instead, he pushed all the me on her in front of Jane. "What are you thinking about?" After Scott left, Rose was busy looking at the recruitment n that Scott had just sent over. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Jennifer who was in a trance, she couldn''t help but asked. Jennifer stopped for a moment and said with hesitation. "Do you know why Jane was fired by Mr. Hans?" "Who knows?" Rose nced at the door of the president''s office and said softly, "Who knows what that lunatic is thinking? Maybe he just fired her because he didn''t like the way she looks." Although her name was not on the resignation list today, it did not mean that it would not happen tomorrow or the day after, so she had to be careful about what she said. Jennifer had her own opinion. Maybe Hans was not as indifferent to her as it seemed. She just didn''t understand, if he cared about her, why was he always so mean to her? Was it just because of what happened before? Half a year ago, she had just gotten over the pain of losing her mother and she had a chance to spend time with Hans under the same roof for a period of time. It seemed that they were so close to being together. One day, for some unknown reason, Hans did not go home even though it waste at night. She didn''t see him at the office in the morning either. She only realized that Hans was at a bar all day when the bar owner called her and asked her to pay the bill. Jennifer apologized and paid for all the things he smashed and the alcohol he drank. She took Hans homeboriously, but he refused. He kept mumbling and said that it was not his home. In the end, she had no choice but to take him to a hotel. It waste at night, she didn''t even get a good look at what kind of hotel it was. She didn''t bring her ID so she had to convinced the front desk that she wasn''t going to spend the night before they gave her a room. As soon as she entered the room, she was scared by what was in front of her. The purplecy curtains, the bed covered with roses, and the bathtub right in the middle of the living room showed Jennifer that this was not a normal hotel. Seeing the bathtub, Hans took his clothes off as he stumbled towards it, which made Jennifer scream. She didn''t know how she got on the bed with him, nor did she know who started it. Looking at his handsome face that was still frowning, she blushed and stared at him without blinking for a long time. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked at her in a daze. He pulled her down and got on top of her. She could smell the strong alcohol on him, but Jennifer was crazy about that smell. She felt like her heart was about to jump out of her throat, she did not dare to move. During that time, the old Mrs. Miller was busy looking for a well-suited husband for her. After all, she was not really a Miller. After her mother passed away, it was inappropriate for her to live in the family house, and ran to Hans''s ce every other day. People would gossip about it sooner orter. Mrs. Miller had introduced her to many people. She also dragged her to meet a few guys. She was not interested, but she could not bear to reject Mrs. Miller''s kindness. What could she say to make Mrs. Miller believe that the person she liked was the man in front of her? The man who she called brother for the past ten years? His kiss was a little cold on her lips, but her breathing was hot, and it gradually became raging. Her mind was nk and she did not have the chance to think about what was happening, but she still remembered how everything happened even now. In her head, her first time having sex was heart-wrenchingly painful at first, but there was a kind of tenderness hidden behind his aggressiveness. He was calling her by her name. Although she was shy at first, she took initiativeter on. That night, she thought that she had finally crossed that final barrier with Hans. So she got up early the next morning and ran to the family house tiredly to confess to the old Mrs. Miller. In her life, the only person she wanted to marry was Hans. However, everything seemed to have changed after that. Hans, the world''s most gentle brother seemed to have turned into another person after that night. When he looked at her again, he was like a ferocious beast that wanted to dismember her inch by inch. On the night when the old Mrs. Miller decided that Hans needed to be responsible and got engaged to her, he came out of the family house with a gloomy face and drove home without saying a word. Then he dragged her out of the car and threw her on the sofa in the living room. "Jennifer, your usual innocence was just an act. right? You took the initiative to seduce me and then told my grandmother to try to make this engagement happen. You must love ying mind games." "Hansy... I don''t understand... what you mean." "Oh, you are calling me Hansy? You would sleep with your brother? Begging your brother to f*ck you? I must be really lucky to be your brother then." It was the first time that she had heard such nasty words. The first thought in her mind was that this person did not seem to be her Hansy. That night, Hans demanded sex with her in the living room angrily. She was ready to marry him so she forgot about whatever he said before. She did not reject his request, she thought he would ept her, the only thing was that the bright light above them hurt her eyes. "Can we go to the bed?" She lowered her head and asked him with a red face. She didn''t dare to look at his eyes at all. "Not every woman desreve to go on my bed." He was very aggressive, he tore off her clothes and he ruthlessly stepped on all her love and admiration for him in that bright living room. He raised his head and his eyes were filled with coldness. She finally realized that this was a punishment. After that, they were doing it every night. She had to always ept his sudden outburst of anger, and he told her she should ept his punishment. She had always felt that she was being punished for having sex with him without his consent when he was drunk, and for running to his grandmother to ask for marriage, which made him feel ckmailed. It had been more than half a year since then, but it seemed that she could never make up for what she From N?velDrama.Org. did. Chapter 41: Being Nice for No Reason? Chapter 41: Being Nice for No Reason? After work, in order not to cause any more trouble, Jennifer packed her things early and went downstairs. She was going to buy a new phone with Rose. When she arrived at the door, the same thing as yesterday happened again. A group of fans wearing masks surrounded her and Rose. "It''s her. It''s her... She came out." N?velDrama.Org holds this content. "Let''s go..." The scene from yesterday was still vivid in her mind. Jennifer could still vaguely feel pain in her ankle, and she immediately panicked. Rose saw that they were wearing Jackson''s fan club t-shirt with Jackson''s blue sticker on their face. She suddenly realized these must be Jackson''s die-hard fans. With the thought of bestie before idols, she pulled Jennifer behind her. "Hey, I''m telling you guys, Jackson has already rified on Instagram that my best friend here has nothing to do with him, absolutely nothing at all. You guys don''t do anything crazy..." A few leaders hurriedly exined, "No, no, we are here to apologize for those crazy fans..." Both of them were stunned. "This gift is to show how sorry we are. I hope you won''t be affected by those people. We apologize to you on Jackson''s behalf." They handed a yellow paper bag to Rose. Inside was a beautifully packaged box of chocte. It looked expensive judging by the logo. Rose was confused by the sudden change of tone. She turned around and made way for them. She raised her head and looked curiously at Jennifer. "Jennifer..." Jennifer was stunned too. Yesterday, they were throwing eggs at her, but today, they were giving her chocte. These young fans were really capricious. She didn''t want to argue with these young girls. "I will ept the apology, but the gift..." "Ahem, we will also ept the gift. After all, after what happened yesterday, Jennifer was injured and caught in the rain. She had a fever all night. So we should take the gift, thank you." Rose directly interrupted Jennifer''s polite rejection and reached out to take the chocte. "And this..." "This too, and this..." Taking one after another, the gift pile almost buried Rose. The fans finally dispersed after some time. Jennifer looked at Rose emotionlessly. "You are the one who wanted the gifts, you have to bring it back yourself." "Hehe, I knew you wouldn''t want these. I''ll take advantage of it then, as a reward for taking care of you Rose was holding a lot of things and she tried to get a taxi on the side of the road. Some fans even helped her to hail a taxi. This treatment was far from the mess Jennifer endured yesterday. Jennifer sighed resignedly. Looking at the traffic jam, she finally took out her card from her bag and took the train. "That''s fine. Let''s just go home early to avoid unnecessary troubles." Jennifer thought. She was exhausted the whole day and she only wanted to have a good night''s sleep. She hoped that nothing else would happen tonight. In the president''s office of the Joy Group, a man in a suit stood by the floor-to-ceiling window. He frowned and watched as the crowd of fans gradually dispersed. His face finally rxed. "James, tell the security department to prohibit these people from entering within 100 metres around thepany." James, who was behind him, stopped for a moment before he seemed to understand something and answered, "Yes sir." After James left, Hans was still standing in front of the window. Looking at Jennifer walking toward the subway entrance, he felt a little guilty. "Fill the bathtub up in an hour." The person on the other end of the phone responded very quickly. "Sir, are youing home for dinner? What should we prepare?" "I''m not going back." After saying this, he hesitated again. "Prepare something light for dinner." Jennifer walked into the neighbourhood tiredly. Behind all the greeneries in the neighbourhood, there was a limited edition blue sports car. In the driver''s seat, behind a pair of ck sunsses, the man showed a look of pity. "She was probably tired today because of what happened yesterday." He thought. Seeing that she returned home safely, the blue sports car slowly drove out of the neighbourhood. When Jennifer arrived home, Nancy, the maid, stood at the door. When she saw Jennifer, she looked at the time in surprise. Jennifer arrived at almost exactly the same time as Mr. Hans had told her. She thought for a while and understood something. She asked tentatively, "Miss Jennifer, the bathwater is ready. It should be just nice to take a bath now." Jennifer was stunned for a moment and then she put on a weary but grateful smile. "Thank you." Nancy hesitated for a moment, then looked at Jennifer as she walked towards the bathroom and asked, "Miss Jennifer, what would you like to eat for dinner?" Jennifer was caught by surprise. She looked back at Nancy puzzledly and said, "Anything is fine, maybe something lighter." Nancy nodded, but Jennifer was suspicious of herpliance. The servants in the Miller''s family never asked what she wanted to eat. They always prepared meals ording to Hans''s taste. Even if they knew that Hans would note back that night, they still prepared dinner or supper ording to his taste. Jennifer''s existence only meant that the servants would set an extra te for her. Today, Nancy seemed a little odd. "Did Mr. Hans call?" Jennifer was not a fool. Without Hans''s order, most servants would prefer to do nothing. Nancy hesitated for a moment. Thinking of what Hans said on the phone, she shook her head quickly. "No, it''s just that I watched the news in the past two days. I know that Miss Jennifer was being bullied outside. You have always treated us nicely. It''s not necessary for Mr. Hans to order us to do something small like this." Jennifer was usually really nice towards these servants even though some of them looked down on her, thinking of her as a gold digger. However, some of them still cared about Jennifer deep down. After all, if Jennifer really became Mrs. Miller, her temper would make their lives easier. Hearing this answer, there was a trace of disappointment in Jennifer''s eyes. She did not ask any more questions and went directly into the bathroom barefooted. The steam in the bathroom was dense, fogging up the ss bathroom door, which faintly reflected Jennifer''s graceful figure. Without looking closely, the bruises on her body were not really noticeable. After taking a shower, she soaked herself in the bathtub. The warm water submerged her and she finally let out a long sigh of relief. This was probably the mostfortable moment in the day. The white aromamp emitted an elegant aroma. Her head rested on the edge of the bathtub and she looked up at the ceiling. She let her mind go nk and her consciousness gradually blurred. The halo around the white light overhead grewrger andrger as if it was going to engulf her. The ck and white lights kept twinkling as if they were ying hide-and-seek with her. After a while, they disappeared and everything in front of her went dark. Chapter 42: Bars Chapter 42: Bars On the flyover in California, there were neon lights and cars as far as eyes could see. James was driving the car and he had already gone around the city twice, but he still hadn''t figured out what his boss wanted. "Mr. Hans, do you want to go somewhere?" Hans, who was sitting in the back seat, looked calm and asked emotionlessly, "What time is it?" James stopped before he said, "Nine seventeen." Hans looked out of the window. He seemed to be in a trance, with a trace of tiredness that could not be concealed. Usually, when Hans looked like this, he liked to go somewhere lively. James suggested daringly. "A few new bars opened up at Newport. If you are interested, I can take you there to have a look." Hans did not speak. It seemed that he silently agreed. James took his silence as a yes. Anyway, they had been wandering on this road for almost three hours. As long as they were going somewhere, it didn''t matter where. James turned the car around and headed to the downtown area. California at 9 o''clock at night looked even more attractive than during the day. The lights on the streets were excessively bright. The city seemed to put on seductive makeup to attract more people, and the street lights seemed to shine just for them. When the car arrived at the street with all the bars in Newport, James pulled up and led Hans through the crowd in the newly opened bar. They found a quiet spot behind the dance floor. Hans was quite good-looking, and he was wearing an expensive suit. The Patek Philippe on his wrist was a symbol of his status. As soon as he sat down, he attracted a lot of attention. James just left for the restroom when someone came up to Hans boldly. "Hey hottie, are you here by yourself?" The woman in the pink mini skirt had pale green curly hair on her shoulders, which was quite artistic. On closer inspection, although she had on heavy makeup, she looked natural. She didn''t have a pointy chin from excessive stic surgery, nor did she have excessive botox on her cheeks. The only thing was that her pickup line was a littleme. She was not a world-ss beauty, but she could still turn a few heads. Any other man would feel lucky to pick up a woman like her at a bar, feeling like they did note to a bar on weekdays in vain. Naturally, Hans was not above such a cliche. He was feeling down because of Jennifer during the day. Now, there was someone here to entertain him. Even if she was just a normal beauty, he could not refuse this offer. He raised his head, and his fierce eyes softened under the dazzling light of the nightclub. "Yeah, and how about you?" She looked into his eyes, and she could feel her heart beating like crazy even though she was no stranger to flirting with men. She curled her lips into a seductive smile. "Otherwise, I wouldn''t have boldly sat down here." "Is that so? In your opinion, this is bold?" "Of course, I rarelye to ces like this." The woman''s sweet voice could easily enchant people. Generally speaking, people who said they didn''te often were always the regr customers. Hans sneered internally but he still looked expressionless on the outside, and his tone was almost monotonous. "It''s good toe here often and have fun. You can train your courage." Even though he said it coldly, his flirty words still made the woman swoon. She continued to flirt, "Oh, Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. so you like bold women? Have you met any?" Hans had only met one bold woman. So far, she was the only woman who dared to climb into his bed and force him to marry her. The woman thought she had picked a good topic. Other men would have used this topic to talk flirty with her. They would vent or cry to her talking about this, it was a good topic to get closer to someone. However, Hans had lost his interest right at this moment. He thought of Jennifer and what happened today. Although he remained expressionless, his heart was full of emotions. When James came back, there was only a woman sitting there, angrily drinking a ss of cocktail with resentment. "Hey Miss, is there..." "Don''t ''hey Miss'' me. You guys are..." The woman red at James. This man looked just like the assistant the man from just now was talking about. "If my assistantes back to find me, just tell him that I left." If he was not interested, he shouldn''t have flirted with her. He was so arrogant that it made her want to throw the ss in her hand. But when she thought of his face, she felt that he was arrogant for a reason. "He has to go." The woman''s face slightly eased up. After all, she still wanted to get close to his assistant. James frowned. Then, he took out his phone from his pocket and looked down at the message shing on the screen. "I''ll be there in ten minutes." The woman in a low-cut dress was still trying to get close to him. "Hey boy, the man who left just now is your boss, isn''t he? Can you leave his contact information?" James was a little upset at Hans''s sudden departure, so he was not in the mood to act cordial to the woman. ncing at the tabloid magazines beside the bar counter, he said angrily, "Fifteen dors for one magazine. If you don''t have any money, you can just borrow it." After saying this, he strode away, leaving the woman sitting alone with her eyes wide open. "What was that? Are you crazy?" Next to the bar, there was a tabloid magazine and a finance magazine, both were thetest edition with Hans on the covers. If this woman looked carefully, she would find that Hans looked familiar not because he was the man of her dreams, she really just had seen his face before. When Hans''s car arrived at the vi, it was almost eleven o''clock. As usual, the servants opened the door, helped him hang his coat, and took his slippers, asking him if he needed supper. Hans looked in the direction of the master bedroom on the second floor and asked casually, "What''s for supper tonight?" The servant''s expression was a little strange, and her tone was a little off. "We... we prepared chicken noodle soup and some sd, just like you told us to. Sir... Sir, do you want to eat?" "She didn''t eat?" Hans frowned. The servant froze. "Miss Jennifer... Miss Jennifer, she... she." "What about her?" Hans suddenly became nervous. "Where is she?" He only realized now that there was no light in the master bedroom. Jennifer was afraid of the dark so she always needed to turn on a night light in order to fall asleep. The two servants went limp and fell to their knees in fear. "Miss Jennifer went to the hospital..." Jennifer got off work at five o''clock. When she arrived home at 6:30, she went into the bathroom to take a bath and the servants left her alone. When they found her, she was barely even breathing. After Nancy prepared dinner, she realized that Jennifer was still in the bathroom so she went to call for her, but there was no response. As soon as she opened the door, she saw that Jennifer waspletely submerged in the water lifelessly. Nancy was scared out of her wits. She called an ambnce for Jennifer and left the two old servants at home. Chapter 43: Love-Hate Relationship Chapter 43: Love-Hate Rtionship "Mr. Hans... Nancy was the one who filled up the bathtub, and she was also the one who called the ambnce. We... we don''t know what happened, we just follow what she said." The aromamp in the bathroom was still on, giving off a dim light. Hans took a deep breath and felt something was wrong. "Who turned on the aromamp?" The two old servants looked at each other, and one of them trembled and lowered her head. "It''s Daisy..." "Where is she?" "She, she said something happened at home two days ago and asked for leave to go home." In other words, the aromamp had been in Jennifer''s bathroom for a long time. There was nothing wrong with the aromamp, it was no different from the ones in other bathrooms in the vi. The only difference was the mixture of essential oil inside themp. The moment Hans took a sniff, he knew that it was the Lavender essential oil that his friend brought back from abroad to treat his insomnia. After a while, the doctor said that it was too potent and it could be dangerous, so he casually asked the servant to throw it out. Who knew that they changed the normal essential oil in the bathroom without him knowing. Late at night, outside the hospital ward nearest to the vi. "Daisy''s family was poor, so she always secretly took Miss Jennifer''s things to sell. Usually, she would take some branded shopping bags. A shopping bag can sell for more than 100 dors. I caught her twice, but she said these things were just trash for Miss Jennifer, so she was just helping her to dispose of it. Later, she would take some small things like the makeups that Miss Jennifer bought... Miss Jennifer was very easy-going, I reminded her a few times but she didn''t take it seriously..." Hans''s face darkened. Daisy was definitely the one who changed the essential oil. These servants, thinking they could bully Jennifer just because he wasn''t nice to her. He could turn a blind eye to them stealing things from her room, but this time they actually went after things she used frequently. Everything was of high quality in Hans''s vi. A bottle of essential oil could easily be worth tens of thousands of dors. Who knew that some servants would be brave enough to swap things out. "Sir, I''m not sure if Daisy really did this. She has been home for several days. I''d better ask her when shees to work tomorrow..." "There''s no need for that. When you go back, just tell all the servants that you guys don''t have toe in for work anymore after tonight." Nancy''s face froze and she stuttered incoherently, "Sir... we, we didn''t do anything..." Hans did not listen to her exnation, nor did he care that her eyes were filled with tears. He went straight into the ward and shut her outside the door. The night wind was blowing, but it might not be colder than people''s hearts. Sometimes, inaction was also a crime, at least it was the case for Hans. If he could be heartless to Jennifer who had lived with him for ten years, of course he could do it to the servants who were not rted to him. In the ward, the air conditioner was on and the temperature was pleasant. In the single ward, Jennifer who was on the bed was frowning as if she was having a nightmare. Her whole face was twisted together. She was choking on the water, luckily she was found just in time. Anyter, she might not have made it. She was fine now, but the doctor was worried about a respiratory tract infection, so she had to stay for a night for observation. He pulled over a chair from the side and stared at Jennifer lividly, not knowing if she was unconscious or asleep. Ever since he heard what the doctor had to say, his face gradually gloomed. Jennifer was really good at getting into trouble. She could drown just by taking a bath. She was so fragile. Even if she left him, there were still many dangerous things waiting for her in the outside world. He suddenly remembered that morning when she was eating in his car, she was choking, and her whole face turned red. If he had not given her water, she might have choked to death. Where did she get that from? Her mother, Stephanie was so smart, it seemed unlikely she could give birth to such a stupid daughter. Did she get it from her father who died young? Hans even suspected that Stephanie was so smart, she could see into the future. If her ex-husband didn''t die early, she would never have married into the Miller''s family. When he realized that he had thought too much, it had been a long time. Jennifer seemed to be tossing and turning. She turned over with her back to Hans. He immediately gathered his thoughts and his face turned cold. She was avoiding him even in her dream. Didn''t she say she love him? She was exactly a fake woman. As he stared at her, he couldn''t help but let his thoughts run wild. In the past ten years, he had been unable to exin his feelings for Jennifer, even to himself. After the death of Stephanie and Thomas in a car ident, the old Mrs. Miller was really upset and she took Jennifer to the family house as a But after all, Jennifer was still not a member of the Miller''s family. There were many servants gossiping Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. about her. Without Stephanie and Thomas to back her up, some gossip got even more unscrupulous, especially the wives of Thomas''s old business partners. Hans was not a insensitive person so they tried to get close to the old Mrs. Miller by visiting her. It was inevitable that they would be tempted to use Jennifer when they saw her. Firstly, they would praise Jennifer exaggeratedly. Then, they would try to figure out Jennifer''s rtionship with the Miller''s family based on what Mrs. Miller said. They all sounded like they wanted to use Jennifer to get closer to the Miller''s family. However, when they knew that Jennifer was just Thomas''s stepdaughter, their attitude immediately changed drastically. More often than not, the words that came out of their mouths would change subtly. "My son" became "my nephew" and "my brother-inw" became a distant nephew who studied abroad. They were still nice young men, but the meaning had changed. They looked down on Jennifer after all. This was also one of the reasons why the old Mrs. Miller was eager to find a good husband for her. After all, she couldn''t let the Miller''s family be a burden to Jennifer. Stephanie had always tried her best to treat the old Mrs. Miller well, unlike Alice who was cold and indifferent. Stephanie was indeed a good daughter-inw, and the old Mrs. Miller took pity on the girl she left behind. Ever since then, Jennifer always felt a little uneasy at the family house so Hans found an excuse to take her out of the family house and let her stay in the house where Stephanie and Thomas used to live. It was a little empty, so Hans also asked if she needed a nanny, but she refused. "How often will youe to see me?" This was the first question she asked when she moved out. Hans frowned. "Thepany is very busy. Maybe once a week, or once a month. I''m not sure." Thomas was in his prime when he suddenly passed away, and thepany suddenly fell into Hans''s hands. Although he had honed himself in the position of deputy director for many years, in the eyes of the board of directors, he was still an ignorant young man. There were many people who wanted to seize power, publicly and privately. There werepetitors on the outside and restless traitors on the inside. Hans was under attack on both sides at that time and he really had no time for Jennifer. So when she asked him this question, he was not trying to dodge the question. Chapter 44: Tenderness Under Viciousness Chapter 44: Tenderness Under Viciousness When the car drove out of Thomas''s house, Hans saw a white figure sitting on the balcony on the second floor through the reflective mirror on the side. The two slender legs swayed as if they were going to fall the next second. Suddenly, his heart tightened. "What are you doing on the balcony? Do you want to die?" He closed the car door and roared uncontrobly. The two legs swaying on the balcony suddenly stopped and slowly withdrew under his angry eyes. When Hans ran to the second floor, Jennifer had already climbed down from the balcony and stood still. She stood in the bedroom with her head down as if she had done something wrong. A breeze blew past, her whitece dress was thin and soft like a feather. "I always stayed on the balcony and nothing happened." She mumbled pitifully. Hans''s face was cold. "If you do this again, I''ll get someone to seal the balcony, you won''t even get to see the sun." "You won''t know if I do it again, you don''te to visit me much anyway." She even talked back arrogantly. Facing such a conundrum, Hans helplessly let out a sigh. "In the evening, James will send the luggage over, open the door for him. If I work overtime ande homete, you should just go out to have dinner, or you can order take-out." Since Jennifer''s luggage was already there, the one James was sending certainly wasn''t hers. So it had to be Hans''s. Her gloomy face instantly turned bright, and the speed of her mood change made Hans suspect that she was faking it before. "Really?" She didn''t wait for his response and rushed to continue. "You said it, I''ve heard it. You can not eat your words." Even though it was his idea, but after what she said, he felt like he was being forced. A strange look appeared in Hans''s eyes. He didn''t want to talk to her anymore, so he turned around and walked downstairs. Before he was even downstairs, he heard someone trotting behind him. "I want to go back to work tomorrow." After the car ident, Jennifer was so devastated that she had not been working for two months. Hearing her voice, Hans turned around. At the bedroom door, Jennifer''s long-lost smile was brighter and more dizzying than the warm sun outside the window behind her. With her white dress, she seemed to be shining with a faint halo. "It was too hot. Why didn''t she turn on the air conditioner?" Hans thought at that time. That was a year and a half ago. At the beginning of April, there were still people on the street with puffy jackets because they couldn''t stand the cold. A year and a half ago, Jennifer was the definition of pure and innocent in Hans''s eyes. It had never changed in the past ten years. From when she was in high school, to when she was in university, to when she was working at Joy Group, and to the idental death of Thomas. She only changed from being Thomas''s secretary to being Hans''s secretary. Even if the way she dressed was different from the first time they met ten years ago. Even if she went from a nobody to a person of importance in Joy Group under the guidance of the big shots in the Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. business world like Thomas and Stephanie. Even without the help of the Miller''s family, she became irreceable even if she worked in any otherpany. It was undeniable that during the period when Hans was under siege, even though Jennifer could not help him with much, there was always a cup of refreshing coffee in the middle of the night after a day of tedious work. She would adjust the table light to a morefortable distance, or adjust the temperature of the air conditioner. Even if Hans didn''t admit that he had fallen in love with Jennifer before, he was not willing to give her to anyone else after the time they spent together during that time. Even without Jennifer''s identter. His thoughts ran wild and tangled into a mess. He touched the pocket of his suit and found a cigarette. Remembering that this was the ward, he looked at sleeping Jennifer again, stood up, and looked for a lighter as he turned to the door. "Don''t go..." There was a warmth in the palm of his hand hanging at his side. He froze, and his other hand was stuck on his chest. After pausing for a few seconds, he slowly put down the hand that was touching the lighter, and he pulled back his foot which had already taken a step. There were beads of sweat on Jennifer''s face. She had a severe fever. The doctor had already told him that it was a normal symptom, she would get better after she sweated it out. Her hand in his palm was very hot and sticky, but he was reluctant to let go. What Jennifer didn''t know was that every time when she fell asleep exhaustively, Hans would always check on her by her bedroom door after he took a shower. Sometimes he woulde by once a night, sometimes twice, and sometimes he would stand there for a long time without leaving. Hans''s insomnia began after he returned from the business trip half a year ago. The next morning, Jennifer woke up in the hospital with Hans sitting next to her. She was firmly grasping his hand. She widened her eyes and suddenly pulled her hand back, which woke him up. He slowly opened his eyes and frowned, staring at her without saying a word. Jennifer held her forehead as if in a dream. She got up from the bed and leaned against the head of the bed. "Why am I here, you... you..." "You almost drown just by taking a bath, and now you are telling me you remember nothing?" He said coldly, hiding his tenderness fromst night, not wanting to mention it. She stiffened and drew back a little apprehensively. She asked cautiously, "Did you send me here?" "As if you are lucky enough to survive the drowning until I get home." He stood up and nced at her. "The doctor willeter. If there is nothing else, you can just go home." "Where are you going?" Her panicky voice came from behind. Due to her fever, her voice was very hoarse. "Thepany will operate as usual without a secretary, but without the boss, will the employees be able to survive?" She opened her mouth and wanted to say, "Can you apany me for a while?", but the words were stuck in her throat. The doctor came for an examination, everything was normal and she could be discharged. "No hurry, Miss Jennifer, you can rest for a while. It''s still early, you may not be able to get a taxi if you leave now." The doctor said with concern. "Alright, thank you." "You''re wee. It''s my job." A pair of cold eyes looking through the window into the ward, his gaze gradually softened. As he was leaving the hospital, his phone rang. It was James. "Mr. Hans, the servants'' sries have been paid, and it will take two days to find new servants. Why don''t we just keep two servants first? They are still waiting in your house, saying that they will wait for your exnation." Hans frowned and said, "Keep the one named Nancy or something, and get rid of everyone else." After saying this, he looked at his watch. "Make them disappear with all their belongings in twenty minutes." Jennifer left the hospital before 8 o''clock. She hailed for a taxi on the side of the road. It was not peak hour yet so there was no traffic on the road. She reached home in twenty minutes. She asked the driver to wait at the door while she entered the house to get money. As soon as she entered the house, she felt something was different. It felt like something was missing, the house seemed empty. Chapter 45: Loving Deeply Will Not Live Longer, Too Smart Will Get You Hurt. Chapter 45: Loving Deeply Will Not Live Longer, Too Smart Will Get You Hurt. When Jennifer entered the door and changed her shoes at the entryway, she finally realized what was wrong. Usually, the servants would be all over the house doing their jobs, they would be in the kitchen, living room, andundry room busy doing something. But today, the whole house was very quiet and empty. She froze at the entryway with one foot in the soft pink slippers and another foot was still in her ts. "Where is everyone else?" She thought. As she was wondering, she suddenly heard someone entering the password at the door. With a click, the door cracked open. A short-haired woman struggled to push her way in through the door with a suitcase. She was wearing a faded pink tracksuit. She had just stuck her head through the door when she saw Jennifer, her face suddenly stiffened. "Miss Jennifer... you... are back." Jennifer looked at the woman who came in with a strange look. "Nancy? What happened? Where have you been? Where''s everyone else?" Nancy was the servant who helped Jennifer to run a bathst night. In the house, she and Daisy were the youngest, just in their early twenties. The other servants were older. Nancy was standing at the door with two huge ck suitcases in her hands. She was afraid of dirtying the carpet on the entryway so she didn''t dare to put them down. She looked at Jennifer with sweat all over her face. Thinking of what happenedst night, her face was pale. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. "It''s a long story. Miss Jennifer, how about you change your shoes and sit down, then I will tell you?" On the sofa in the living room. Nancy made a cup of tea and handed it to Jennifer. Her hands were a little cold so she just took it to warm them up. "What''s going on? Where are the other servants?" "They were all fired." Nancy was frightened and stood on the side rubbing her hands. "You can sit down and talk." Jennifer frowned. Nancy panicked and quickly waved her hand. "No, there''s no need. I like standing." Jennifer didn''t insist anymore. She just felt that Nancy was acting very strange today, as if she was a little afraid of her. She spoke carefully as if she was afraid of overstepping. "Why were they fired? Who fired them?" Nancy hesitated and said, "It''s Mr. Hans. Last night, after you almost drowned in the bathroom, I sent you to the hospital. Mr. Hans came in the middle of the night. He asked me to go back and tell the other servants they were dismissed. This morning, James paid all of our sries." Jennifer frowned, and she didn''t understand why Hans dismissed these people. Nancy, who was standing in front of her, suddenly looked pale and fell to her knees. She knelt too fast and her knees hit the floor with a loud bang, which made Jennifer jump off the sofa. "What are you doing?" "Miss Jennifer, it''s my fault. We used to be ignorant, but I really didn''t look down on you. I''ve always worked very hard. We weren''t nice to you before and I didn''t dare to stand up for you, I was afraid that I would be singled out, but I''m just... I just want to do my job. I''m sorry, Miss Jennifer..." Nancy was crying and sniffling, kneeling in front of Jennifer, and refusing to get up, no matter how hard Jennifer tried to pull her up. "You get up first..." Jennifer really had no strength left in her, she sat down on the floor and shouted with difficulty. "Are you done? Why are you crying? Tell me everything." Nancy was so frightened by her roar that she didn''t dare to make a sound. She stopped crying, but she couldn''t hold back her sobs. Her shoulders kept twitching as if she was huping. "I... Er... Er..." "Forget it, forget it. Have some water first." Jennifer resignedly stood up while holding the sofa and handed Nancy the cup on the table. Nancy drank a few mouthfuls of water before stopping her sobs. Then, she started to tell the story in a choked voice. "Mr. Hans wanted to fire all of us initially, but in the morning, the older servants refused to leave, so we asked James to help us. He called Mr. Hans in front of us. We didn''t hear what Mr. Hans said, but in the end, James said that I was the only one who can stay. He said it was Mr. Hans''s order, so I understood everything. Mr. Hans was mad that we didn''t take good care of you before. Last night, I was the one who sent you to the hospital, that''s why he kept me here." Hearing this, there was a strange look on Jennifer''s face. She thought about the whole incident from the beginning, and her lips curved into a self-deprecating smile. If Hans really cared about her so much, why did he torture her? Was he just looking for trouble? "So, Miss Jennifer, it was my fault before, please forgive me. I will work harder in the future." Nancy thought that the servants were fired because they didn''t take care of her well enough. However, Jennifer was not so confident. All of her confidence waspletely wiped out by Hans. She became more rational in this kind of situation. "What did you say to himst night when he went to the hospital?" Nancy told her about how Daisy secretly changed the essential oil in the aromamp. The strange look on Jennifer''s face gradually disappeared. She chuckled but didn''t look happy. "I get it now." Looking at Jennifer going upstairs, Nancy couldn''t figure out what was going on. She asked hesitantly, "Miss Jennifer, what do you want to eat for lunch? I''ll prepare it earlier." "No, you can have a rest. Don''t disturb me today. I want to sleep for a while." She held the railings and her footsteps became slower and slower, as if all her strength had been used up by going upstairs. She fell on the snow-white sheet and turned herself over with her hands on the sheet. Looking at the ceiling, she looked gloomy. Did Hans fire the servants because some of them stole from him and the others pretended not to know or because they disrespected her? She knew the answer in her heart. Hans couldn''t tolerate any faults. Even if she didn''t drown, he wouldn''t have let them stay after knowing they steal. "I''d better not tter myself. "As the saying goes, loving deeply will not live longer, too smart will get you hurt." She thought. Now that she thought about it, it made sense. When ites to love, the one who loved harder was also the one who was hurt the most, so naturally, their life won''t be easy. They would be depressed all the time and it would be a wonder if they could live long. Luckily, she was not too smart. As Jennifer thought about it, her mind was already in a mess and she slowly fell asleep. Her phone that was on the bedside table for the whole night shed for a second, an unknown number was calling her. Jennifer was sleeping so soundly that she thought she was dreaming. Her head hurt because of the noise so she pulled up the nket and wrapped herself in it with her eyes closed. At noon, the ck SUV was parked at the gate of the vi. Hans got off the car, took off his coat, and left it in the entryway. He changed into his slippers and went straight into the living room. Nancy was alone in the kitchen busying. She had just finished cooking lunch and was hesitating if she should call Jennifer for lunch when she heard a noise in the living room. Chapter 46: Do You Want Me to Feed You? Chapter 46: Do You Want Me to Feed You? She guessed that Hans hade back. She quickly wiped her hands on her apron and hurried out of the kitchen. "Mr. Hans, are... are youing back for lunch?" As soon as Hans walked into the living room, his eyes fell on the dinner table not far away. There were a few dishes on the table, including meat and vegetables. Hans looked satisfied. He looked up at the master bedroom upstairs. Nancy immediately understood and said, "Miss Jennifer went to sleep when she came back. Before going to bed, she told me not to disturb her. I just finished cooking, so I... Do you think..." "Bring some upstairs." Hans nced at the table and ordered lightly. Nancy hurriedly nodded and rushed into the kitchen. She came out soon after with a lunch box in her hand and brought it upstairs straightaway. When she went downstairs, she saw Hans eating at the table. He nced at Nancy and asked casually, "Have she eaten yet?" Nancy lowered her head. "Miss Jennifer didn''t wake up. I called for her twice and she said just to leave it, so I didn''t dare to call again." Hans frowned and his eyes were covered with ayer of frost. "Alright, I know, you can go now." The bedroom door was slowly pushed open. Hans was wearing a pair of well-fitted ck dress pants and his blue slippers didn''t make a lot of noise against the floor. "Jennifer." A cold voice came from the end of the bed, which reverberated in the quiet bedroom. Jennifer was sleeping soundly when she heard someone calling for her. Thinking that she was dreaming, she turned around and ignored it. Seeing that he was being ignored, Hans''s face grew cold and his voice grew deeper. "Jennifer, since you like to sleep so much, you don''t have to go to work anymore. You can just sleep at home every day." Hearing this, Jennifer suddenly woke up. She sprang up and sat in the middle of the bed with her hair disheveled, staring nkly at the man at the end of the bed. It was not a dream. Hans nced at her and walked to the bedside. He picked up the lunch box and said coldly, "Why are you not eating?" Jennifer looked away from him and looked down at the sheet, it was white and dazzling. "I''m too sleepy to eat." The mattress under her slightly tilted to one side and she froze. She saw from the corner of her eye that Hans was sitting beside her. His ck dress pants were particrly conspicuous on the white sheets, forming a few wrinkles. "Are you waiting for me to feed you?" A spoonful of egg sd piled up on the silver spoon, the springy egg trembled slightly on the spoon in front of her. At the end of the spoon was a bony hand. She was startled and reached for the spoon. "I''ll do it myself..." "Open your mouth." Hans''s cold voice stopped her from reaching out her hand. She was startled and couldn''t help opening her mouth. The spoonful of egg sd melted in her mouth. When it slipped down her throat, it tasted sweet for no reason. Was there any sugar? "I''ll do it myself." She swallowed the egg sd and looked up at Hans. He nced at her expressionlessly. "Do you think I like to feed you? If I''m not paying attention, you''ll go on a hunger strike again. You''re N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. living a free and unfettered life not working, aren''t you?" As he spoke, he picked up the lunch box, put one hand around Jennifer''s shoulder, and wrapped her in his arms. The lunch box was held in front of her chest and the spoon on his other hand was filled with pasta. He reached out and said. "Open your mouth." His chest was clinging to her back, and there was a trace of heat spreading down her spine. His breath faintly swept over her face as if she was dreaming. Jennifer felt that she was still asleep. Everything was hazy, and she listened to his instructions. She opened her mouth, had some sd, and then chewed as he ordered. After she ate half a bowl of egg sd and some vegetables, her face became less pale. Hans''s chest left her back, and the spoon dropped into the lunch box, making a nging sound. He put it steadily on a chair nearby. He looked back at Jennifer, frowned, pulled out a paper towel from the box, and leaned over. Jennifer had a palm-sized, oval face. Her eyes were ck and bright, and the tip of her nose was like a little fox. Her lips were stained yellow with the egg sd, and her confused look was just like a lost kitten. Hans held a paper towel and approached her. He was about to wipe the corner of her mouth when his heart suddenly skipped a beat. There was a light breeze and she blinked her eyes. His hand stopped and held her shoulder instead. Then he leaned over slightly and lowered his head to kiss her lips. Jennifer''s whole body stiffened. Her lower body was still in pain so she didn''t want to have sex with Hans right now. However, out of reflex, she did not dare to resist so she allowed him to kiss her lips and pry open her mouth. Jennifer''s consciousness gradually blurred. How could this dream feel so real? James''s voice was at the door. "Mr. Hans, you are going to bete for the meeting in the afternoon. Do you need me to reschedule with the clients?" Hans''s hand paused slightly on his belt and unhappily nced at the door. Jennifer froze and suddenly came to her senses. She looked up at Hans on top of her, her face was burning red. "Nevermind, I''ll go after I change my clothes." His voice grew fainter and she felt his grips loosen on her. He slowly walked away and entered his own room through the sliding door, leaving her behind with his warmth and uncertainty. Jennifer touched the skin on her chest, and it was still warm from his touch. This was the rare asion where he was so tender that her clothes and her body were unharmed. Except for her slightly swollen lips, she waspletely fine. It really felt like a dream. After Hans left, Jennifer went into the bathroom and took a bath. She had learned her lesson from the night before, so she didn''t dare to take a long bath and didn''t turn on the aromamp. She looked at herself in the mirror. There were still some mottled bruises on her body, and she could still feel the pain in her lower body, but she could forget all of that thinking about his tenderness just now. Chapter 47: Tender Dream Of the Past Chapter 47: Tender Dream Of the Past After she came out of the shower, she was sitting on her bed with her hair still wet. She saw her phone shing so she picked it up and looked at it. There were three missed calls were from an unknown number. She frowned, deleted the unknown number, closed her phone andy back on the bed. After sleeping for a while, the phone rang again. She touched the phone and nced at the screen. It was the same unknown number. She answered it and spoke in a weak voice. "Hello?" "Jennifer?" The familiar voice on the phone was a tenderness she could never forget. It was her tender dream of the past from her youth. "It''s you?" Her voice was a little dry. After coughing, her voice returned to normal. "How did you get my number?" "My agent helped me get it. Jennifer, how have you been recently?" Jennifer was stunned for a moment and said lightly. "I''m fine. You''ve seen me the other day, I''m doing well." The person on the other end of the line hesitated for a moment. "I want to apologize to you face to face for the attack, after all, my fans attacked you because of me..." "It''s okay, it''s not a big deal. Since it''s over, we don''t have to meet again. You''re busy." Jennifer interrupted him. Hearing this, the voice on the phone hurriedly said, "I''m not busy, I can find the time for you." "I''m quite busy too." She said in a deep voice, she sounded distant. The person on the other end of the phone was silent for a long time. Jennifer felt a little guilty, so she said perfunctorily, "We''ll talk about itter when we have the chance. After all, you are a superstar, and it''s inconvenient for you to go out in public." Jackson''s said sheepishly, "Okay." After hanging up the phone, he sat alone on the window nook of the apartment for a long time. Beside him was a can of beer. Since he needed to protect his throat, he didn''t drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. However, he suddenly had an urge to drink today, so he asked his assistant to buy a can of beer behind his agent''s back. The bitterness of beer overwhelmed his tastebuds, but it was nothing Everything he had now, independence, freedom, wealth, and status all came from a girl who was far away on the other side of the ocean. He had ovee all the ups and downs in the past ten years. Now he had sess, recognition, and thousands of fans, but he could no longer find his first fan ever in his life that had disappeared in the crowd. "Desmond, you sing so well. You will perform at the Christmas g at school, right? I will give you flowers." "Desmond, what do you think about me going to dance ss? If you sing in the future, I can dance with you." "Desmond, the mid-term exam was too difficult. Your songs were all I could think about during the exam, it''s your fault." "Desmond... Say it again. You just said you like me..." "Ah... Desmond said he likes me..." "Desmond, tell your mom you don''t want to go abroad. I can transfer to another school. I already told my mom, we will register for the new school tomorrow." "Desmond, I''m not going to send you off. Take care of yourself and have a safe journey." He and Jennifer went from acquaintances to friends, to lovers, to acquaintances again. It took him a year to go from Desmond Whitney to Jackson Davis, but even after 10 years, he still couldn''t be her Desmond again. Ever since he became Jackson, she no longer need him anymore, whether he was Desmond or Jackson. Ten years ago, the high school romance, the forced break up, and the separation from each other N?velDrama.Org holds this content. across the ocean. It all seemed like necessary plots in a movie. There was the shadow of Jennifer in every song he wrote all these years. He thought he would keep this love in his heart, so when he came back, he could meet Jennifer and the story would have a perfect ending. He never expected that when he boarded the ne and left the city, it already became an end in Jennifer''s life. Back then, those who knew him all said that he was heartless and that he could just leave everything behind. He raised his ss and looked at the setting sun. The corner of his mouth curved into a self- deprecating smirk. It would be great if he could really be heartless. Those who did wrong would always find it harder to let go. After receiving Jackson''s call, Jennifer couldn''t fall back asleep. She felt weak but she couldn''t keep her eyes closed. It seemed that as soon as she closed her eyes, she would remember what happened ten years ago. The president''s office of Joy Group. Dressed in a ck dress, Monica publicly walked out of the elevator. Her 12-centimetre high heels gave off an air of arrogance. Most of the employees smiled at her as if she was the boss''s wife checking on the employees. She was one of the top celebrities in Joy Group and the most favoured woman in front of Hans. Everyone in thepany had to show her some respect, except Rose. "Miss Monica..." The secretary''s voice made Monica stop for a moment as she reached out to pull the president''s office door. She turned around, frowned and looked in the direction of the voice. "Secretary Rose? What''s the matter?" Rose was facing the door of the president''s office, with a ck pen in her hand. She nced at Monica with contempt. "Miss Monica, are you here for Mr. Hans?" "Yeah, do you have something to say about that?" Monica was great at reading people. Looking at Rose''s attitude, she knew Rose was not an easy target. It was amon urrence for her to look for Hans. As long as Rose was present, she would always make things difficult for her. She would either cite somepany rules or she would remind Monica to behave herself as a public figure. She was really sharp-tongued. Sheined to Hans several times, but Hans ignored her. If it weren''t for her thin figures, she would really suspect that Rose always picked fights with her because there was something going on between her and Hans. "I don''t have anything to say, but I have reminded Miss Monica many times. Before you enter the president''s office, you need to report to the secretaries first. We have to inform the president before you can enter. That''s the rule." "That''s the rule for you. Who am I and who are you?" Monica was not afraid of her. "Who are you?" Rose blinked her big eyes and sneered. "We''re all employees of the Joy Group. Except that you worked in front of a screen and we worked backstage, I really can''t see the difference between you and the rest of us." "You..." Monica was speechless for a moment. The wholepany thought that she would be the future Mrs. Hans. However, there was no concrete proof for this kind of thing after all, so she never said it out loud. She had never met anyone who couldn''t take a hint except for Rose. "If anyone can enter the president''s office freely, what if some confidential document got lost? Whose fault was it? I can''t take such a big responsibility. Besides, even if the old Mrs. Miller came to visit Mr. Hans, she would have to follow the rules too. Do you think you are more important than old Mrs. Miller?" After Rose''s sarcastic words, Monica was so angry that she stood in one ce, speechless. She pointed at Rose and shouted, "Who do you think you are? How dare you talk to me like that?" Chapter 48: Public Revenge Chapter 48: Public Revenge "Miss Monica, don''t think too highly of yourself. It''d be very embarrassing for you if all your ns ended up being nothing." Rose stared at her coldly, and from the corner of her eyes, she saw someone walking from the elevator. She came up with a n and instantly put on a smile and said, "Miss Monica, Mr. Hans is really not in the office. Why don''t youe to the secretary''s office first and have a cup of tea?" "I don''t want your tea, I must get in today..." Monica turned around to open the door. She was so angry she did not notice a tall figure behind her. "Mr. Hans, this..." The voiceing from behind made Monica froze all of a sudden, and she stopped opening the door. Unfortunately, the doorknob turned and the door cracked open. "Mr. Hans, I told her you weren''t in the office, but Miss Monica insisted on going in, I couldn''t do anything about it." Rose lowered her head with an aggrieved look, but James saw her sly smile out of the corner of his eyes. Monica was scared to death. Last time, Hans specifically told her not to go into his office when he was not there, but Rose didn''t tell her that Hans was not here just now. "Hans, I, I really didn''t know, I''m not..." She didn''t know what to exin, she was incoherent and stuttered. She looked up and Hans''s cold eyes scared her out of her wits. "Did you not hear what I said, or did you not take it seriously?" His voice was not loud, but it was bone-chilling. Hans closed the door behind him, leaving Monica outside. There were many people there watching her. It was the first time that they saw Hans make Monica embarrassed. People were gossiping among themselves, and Monica heard some of it, which made her resent Rose even more. She red at Rose angrily, raised her eyebrows, and said coldly, "Secretary Rose, helping others is helping yourself. You don''t know what''s good for you. If anything happens in the future, don''t me me for not showing you any mercy." Rose had just put Monica in her ce and she was very proud of it. She didn''t pay attention to what Monica was saying. She snorted and blinked, "A barking dog seldom bites." The implication was that Monica''s threatening tone was just a bluff, and she got to call Monica a dog too. The desktop in the president''s office showed the surveince video of the secretary''s office and the corridor. Monica walked out embarrassed and Rose''s smirk undoubtedly indicated that she orchestrated this ident. James said beside Hans, "Mr. Hans, the way Secretary Rose treats Miss Monica, do you need me to remind her to behave a little?" Hans looked away from the desktop and said coldly, "There''s no need for that. It''s good to take Monica down a peg or she will show off in thepany." James nodded. There was a strange look on his face but he did not dare to speak up for Monica anymore. Rose was in a very good mood after work. She hummed as she went downstairs, she skipped to the square and hailed for a taxi. A taxi stopped in front of her. She tilted her head and took a look, faintly seeing a man sitting in the back seat. "Hello, I''m not sharing the ride, you..." Before she finished her words, the back seat window slowly rolled down, revealing a face with sunsses. Rose stared at him for a few seconds, then she covered her mouth and stomped on the ground. "You... you... you..." Jackson waved to her in the car and said meaningfully, "I wonder if I have the honor to invite you for dinner." Rose jumped leaped up in front of the taxi. "Yes... yes, you do..." "Oh my god, my idol is treating me to dinner." Rose thought. It was rare for Hans to go home early but having dinner with his customers, he cancelled his ns and left directly, which surprised them. They teased him that he must have a girl at home, that was why he was in a hurry to go back. Thinking of how sickly Jennifer looked, heughed at himself. "My pet is sick. I''ll go back and have a look." Everyone looked at each other and smiled knowingly. They urged him to drink more alcohol before letting him go. When he got home, Nancy was cleaning up the table. Seeing Hans home at this time, she looked surprised. "Mr. Hans, have you eaten yet?" N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Hans nodded, his slender fingers went past his cor and loosened the tie around his neck. He unbuttoned the top of his shirt, pulled out the chair next to the table, and sat down. He looked tired. "I''ll get you a ss of water." Nancy hurriedly brought the te into the kitchen, only to realize she didn''t have hot water. By the time she came out with hot tea, Hans was no longer there. She could hear footstepsing from the second floor. She held the cup and stood there for a while, without making a sound. Then she continued to clean the table. In the second-floor master bedroom, the big bed looked awkward amongst the minimalist decor. On the bedy a delicate woman, sweet and lovely, with her back to the bedroom door and staring out of the window. She was lost in her thoughts that she did not notice that the bedroom door was pushed open and Hans walked in. The mattress beside her suddenly sank. She stopped for a moment and was about to turn around, but he held her by the shoulder. His familiar scent along with his usual alcohol breath mixed with the cold air around her body, she shivered. Her whole body went stiff and she instinctively wanted to break free. "Don''t move, I''ll let you know the consequence if you move again." His hoarse voice and the strong alcohol smell made Jennifer dare not resist. She stiffened her back and leaned on the pillow silently. Behind her was Hans''s heavy breathing. His shoulders felt like a wall, making her unable to move. At first, she didn''t feel sleepy at all. She was on high alert about what he might do. However, his gradually steady breathing sounded like a luby. Her eyelids got heavier and she felt sleepy. In her dream, she felt like a baby again in her hazy state. Someone embraced her into their arms and kissed her forehead intimately. Then they carefully swaddled her and gently patted the nket on her chest as if to dispel away her bad dreams. The night grew darker, outside the window was a night sky full of stars, showing just how insignificant the human beings were. Hans''s tall figure stood by the bed, once again pulling up the nket over Jennifer who slept restlessly. Then he went to the window and looked up at the sky. He thought about it many times. If it weren''t for the diary, he and Jennifer would probably be together happily now. From the sliding door, he went to his side of the master bedroom. He pulled open the safe and took out an old yellowed notebook. The original patterns could no longer be seen on the mottled cover, only the brown background remained. The printed vines at the corners of the notebook also looked faded. Opening the first page. Friday, Gloomy. Thomas had a dinner party today. I was not feeling well so I took some medicine and slept early. When I woke up, it was raining outside. I was a little worried about Thomas not bringing his umbre so I went downstairs and stood by the window. I thought that when hee back, I could go out to meet him with my umbre. The sound of the car was approaching. There was a woman in the car... Chapter 49: Old Tales Chapter 49: Old Tales The diary was from more than ten years ago, it was thick with stories about a year in the life of a gentle-tempered housewife who swallowed her love and hatred silently. Hans flipped open a page randomly and what he read was depressing. "When the car stopped, I wanted to pick up Thomas with an umbre. He got sick easily, he would cough if he got wet in the rain, and he would suffer for a long time. But through the window, I saw the vivacious woman in the carughing and talking into his ear. And on his face was a rxed and happy expression that I had not seen for a long time. I knew that our rtionship had probablye to an end." On a Friday evening 11 years ago, Thomas came back from a dinner party. Alice slept early as usual and he went straight to the study and stayed there the whole night as usual. " 25th July, Sunny. My mother was seriously ill. When I visited her, I told her that I wanted to separate from Thomas. My mother probably knew something and advised me to not think about it and to keep my family together. It was normal for men to have many women outside. I could do something about it if I were by myself, but I should be thinking about Hansy, who was sent abroad to study since he was a child. My mother said that the woman was still young and she had a daughter. If she married Thomas and have kids with him, there would be no ce in the family for Hansy anymore. My mother has more foresight than me. I should stop thinking about getting a divorce..." "Today is Thanksgiving. Thomas said there''s something at thepany and did note back. Hansy called me from abroad and said that his studies there were about to bepleted. His grades were excellent and his mentor rmended him to do a Ph.D. directly. I was afraid that Hansy would refuse toe back so I pretended to be angry with him and said that he must return home before Christmas. I was afraid that my body would not hold on for much longer. At least, I should wait for Hansy to return home and hand over the estates that I bought all these years to him." "December 15th, Gloomy. Hansy returned home today. Thomas went on a business trip. Although he instructed the housekeeper to go to the airport to pick Hansy up, I was still worried. I met the woman by ident at the airport. She was wearing a bright red jacket, behind her was a beautiful girl. I think when she grows up, she will make many men fall in love with her. The woman seemed to know me and wanted to say hi to me. I stumbled out of the airport and stood outside, it was snowing. At some point, the girl stood behind me and gave me an umbre. She seemed to know everything. I was hurt all over again. Although I have already given in so many times, I still managed to let a little girl trample on my dignity so openly. ... His fingers were holding the diary with such force that the veins on the back of his hand bulged as if he were about to pop a blood vessel. Hans''s face darkened little by little. Since half a year ago, Alice''s diary reminded him daily that the flirty rtionship he had with Jennifer was aplete joke. The so-called admiration was built on his mother''s dignity, which he felt very guilty of now. He still remembered the day when he returned home 11 years ago. He looked for the housekeeper but he was not there to pick him up at the airport. On the outside of the airport, he saw his mother, who was holding a small red umbre, in a trance. Her shoulder was covered with snow, and her face was pale in her in beige coat. "Mom, why are you here? Where is the housekeeper? You''re not in good health, you shouldn''t exert yourself." At that time, he didn''t understand his mother''s lifeless expression. He only thought that she was sickly and the cold winter wind had dazed her. "It''s okay, let''s go home." Alice was always gentle, but that day, the first sentence she said to Hans was "go home" with conviction. The more you wanted something, the harder it was to get it. During the half a year after Hans returned home, Alice became thinner day by day. She seemed to have recovered a little by Christmas. Even Thomas put down his work and came back to spend time with his family. But in the evening, he answered a phone call and went out. It was also that night when Alice inexplicably threw a tantrum at the servants. She fired all the servants in the family and broke something for the first time. The doctor already told them that the cancer had spread. It was normal for the patient to be depressed and had extreme mood swings so they should be mentally prepared. Therefore, Hans had already been expecting these to happen. After the incident, he carried his stick-thin mother back to her room to rest, but she refused to sleep. She kept saying that she didn''t have much time, so she asked him to take out the old record yer and y it. The old melody spun from the record yer sounded like it could bring people back to a simpler time. Alice said, "Hansy, if you fall in love with a girl one day, you must love her with all your heart." At that time, Hans didn''t care about love at all, even though he had a few rtionships abroad, they were all short-lived. "Mom, why are you saying this all of a sudden? Did Dad upset you?" "No," Alice held his hand. "Your father is good, this has nothing to do with him. You are still young, there are many things you still don''t understand. I am afraid that you will break a girl''s heart one day." "Why? Do you think your son is such an irresponsible person?" "That''s not true." She revealed a rare smile. "I know my son best. He usually looks like he doesn''t care about anything, but actually, he cares more than anyone else." Hans had left home since he was a child, so he actually didn''t have much attachment to his parents. He didn''t take Alice''s words to heart. He pulled up her nket, trying to be a good son. Then he impatiently wanted to go to the study to look at his project materials. When he was at the door, he heard Alice''s words. Later on, when he connected the truth, it felt too cruel and he med himself. "Hans, if you fall out of love with a girl one day, you must tell her clearly and don''t hide it from her. A woman''s heart is the most sensitive. She can feel whether you like her or not. It''s better to break up than lead her on." At that time, he was too eager to do his own thing and did not realize that Alice called him Hans, not Hansy. He did not realize that Alice wasn''t talking to him, she actually said that for Thomas to hear. The night was dark, and the night breeze blew against the window, making a rustling sound. Hans closed the diary and locked it in the safe. He put his hands in his pockets and walked to the window. He stared at the night sky outside the window, lost in his thoughts. He couldn''t tell his anger on Jennifer was because he hated her for not stopping Stephanie from doing bad things, or he hated himself for not being a better son? It had been more than half a year since he knew what happened back then. The night when he got drunk, Jennifer had sex with him before he had time to process anything. His anger and resentment became worse since he couldn''t process his feelings. He knew that he shouldn''t me Jennifer for what happened back then. But he knew even better that if he didn''t me Jennifer, he had no reason to be involved with her Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. anymore. Chapter 50: Letting Her Go Was Also Letting Himself Go Chapter 50: Letting Her Go Was Also Letting Himself Go Hans''s mother, Alice''s depression was caused by Thomas''s mistress. Due to Hans''s young age, she had to suppress her depression until she passed Hans everything that belonged to him. After that, she lost the will to live and gradually lost her senses. It was difficult for her to even keep her food down. Hans took her to the hospital for a physical examination only to receive a diagnosis ofte-stage stomach cancer. All the doctors attributed her depression to cancer. It wasn''t until after the car ident when the hospital gave Thomas her death certificate to sign only he knew that his wife hadn''t had much time left, even without the car ident. Half a year ago, when Hans came back from a business trip, he found his mother''s diary in the attic of Thomas''s house. It recorded every detail since Stephanie entered their lives. From the initial distraught to eptance, to struggling toe to terms, to the incoherence, where she had already shown signs of depression. It was all because of Stephanie and Thomas. However, as karma would have it, the two sources of evil died in a car ident a year ago. So even though Hans knew the truths, he could no longer find anyone to vent his anger on. There was only Jennifer left. The moonlight peeked through the gap of the curtain and fell on the girl''s face. The moonlight faintly reflected her delicate features. Standing by the bed, Hans stared at her for a long time. He thought over and over about what his mother said when she was seriously ill, "If you fall out of love with her, you must tell her. It''s better to break up than lead her on." Instead of saying that he had tortured her for half a year, it was more like he had tortured himself for half a year. He did not get any of the joy from getting revenge on her. Every time he hurt her, his guilt and remorse stayed with him all night, keeping him up. Perhaps letting her go was also letting himself go. The next morning, when Jennifer woke up, Hans was having breakfast downstairs. When she saw the time on her cell phone, she jumped up from the bed and rushed into the bathroom to wash her face and put on makeup in a panic. Nancy stood at the table and saw Jennifer rushing downstairs. "Miss Jennifer, do you want pancake or waffle for breakfast?" Jennifer nced at the back of Hans''s head and swallowed. "Waffle... Forget it. I don''t have time, just give me two slices of bread. I have a bus to catch." Hans nced at her lightly. "Sit down and have breakfast, I''ll drive you to thepany." These wordsing from Hans''s mouth sounded as unlikely as pigs flying. Jennifer was a little flustered and sat down dubiously. Nancy quickly brought her a te of waffles. "From tomorrow onwards, you will move back to grandma''s ce." Hearing these words, Jennifer froze. She abruptly raised her head to look at Hans, only to find that he wasn''t even looking at her. He was calmly eating his pancake, expressionless, emotionless. As if he didn''t say anything and it was just her imagination. "What?" "I''m not going to marry you, so starting tomorrow, you''ll move back to grandma''s ce." Hans raised his head and stared at her with his cold eyes, without any emotion. Jennifer wanted to find a trace of reluctance in his eyes, or even a trace of peculiarness, but she couldn''t. Did this mean that he got tired of her? "I won''t go." She lowered her head and said in a choked voice. "You''re not in the position to refuse. I''ll ask James to help you pack your things this afternoon." Jennifer bit her lip, she looked pale. "If you don''t want me to live here, I can just rent an apartment outside. I won''t go back to grandma''s ce." It was his grandmother who asked her to move to his ce back then. If she had to move back in dejection, she didn''t want to hear either grandma''s constion or the servants'' gossips. Hans suddenly stood up, and the chair behind him squeaked because of his abrupt action and then fell to the floor. "Jennifer, do you think your life is too easy in the Miller''s family?" Jennifer lowered her head and almost buried her face into the te without saying a word. She had always been like this. She was as stubborn as a donkey, which was infuriating. Hans stood by the table, staring at her coldly. They were in a stalemate, as if they would stay here for eternity until the other person gave up. After a while, Jennifer put down the fork and stood up from the other side, avoiding Hans''s gaze. "I''m full, I''ll leave first." Hans''s face darkened, and he caught up with her. "Stop there, who said you can go?" Jennifer stood there, with her head down and her back to Hans, not saying anything. The atmosphere in the room was extremely tense. Nancy stood by the table, she did not dare to breathe. Out of the corner of his eye, Hans nced at the trembling servant. He snorted and dragged Jennifer into the car. Hans was speeding the whole time. Jennifer clenched her seat belt and held back the turmoil in her stomach with all her might. She was afraid that she would puke and dirty Hans''s leather seat identally. Halfway through, Hans braked all of a sudden and the car squeaked loud as thunder. If it weren''t for the seat belt, Jennifer would have flown out of her seat and crashed into the ss. "You said it yourself, you want to cut ties with me. I''m giving you the chance now." A cold voice came from inside the car. Holding the steering wheel, Hans looked gloomy, and the blue veins on his forehead faintly showed his unwillingness. Jennifer clenched her seat belt in fear. Her face was pale and she looked lifeless, but she still said firmly, "Cutting ties does not mean that I have to move back to grandma''s ce. Just like what you said, I am not part of the Miller''s family. My mother is dead and I have nothing to do with the Miller''s family anymore. Since you don''t want me here, then I have nothing to do with you." She believed that Hans was tired of her and had lost all interest in her, so he was going to abandon Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. her. However, she was not an object that he could just throw away anywhere he liked. "Why are you so eager to distance yourself from me?" His rare mercy had been met with Jennifer''s refusal, and he was getting impatient. When he heard she said that she had nothing to do with him, his face immediately sank. He stared at Jennifer''s stubborn face and all his anger suddenly poured out. "If you don''t go back to the family house, where would you live? Are you going to live with your old lover?" Jennifer was so angry that she looked up and wanted to refute. "You..." Before she could finish her words, a pair of burning lips fiercely sealed up all her arguments. His big hands held the back of her head, pressing her closer to his gloomy face, sucking out all the air in her mouth, and stirring up her thoughts. Chapter 51: Asking for Trouble Chapter 51: Asking for Trouble His kiss was fast and forceful. His hands held the back of her head forcefully as if he wanted to embed her into his body. She cried out in pain. He finally stopped kissing her and slowly retreated. Hans took his hands off her shoulder and avoided her gaze. He said with a cold face, "It''s okay if you don''t want to move back to grandma''s ce, but you can''t rent a house. Just move out from the master bedroom. The further away from my room, the better." Jennifer lowered her head and smiled bitterly. "Okay." In the vi, the furthest room from Hans was located in the northwest corner of the first floor. It was cold and damp, without sunshine all year round. It couldn''t even function as a storeroom, so it became servants'' quarters. "If I let you go out and rent a house, do you think grandma will let me off so easily? Maybe grandma will force me to set a wedding date and you will get what you wished for. You are so calctive." She was already numbed to Hans''s words. She lowered her head drowsily, leaned against her seat, and slowly fell asleep. After driving for a long time, Hans''s cold gaze fell on Jennifer''s face sleeping beside him. The coldness in his eyes gradually became warm and there was even a trace of tenderness. "She refused to leave perhaps because she still has some hopes for me. Unfortunately, she is Stephanie''s daughter, and my feelings for her could not offset my guilt towards my mother. If I ignore her for long enough, she would probably pack up her things and leave on her own one day." Hans thought. The secretary office. Rose put a thick stack of documents in front of Jennifer and smiled tteringly. "You didn''te yesterday and so many things piled up for your perusal. I tried my best to help you take care of some of it, but others I really couldn''t understand..." "I see, I will do it." Jennifer resignedly looked at Rose. "This girl was good in every aspect, except that she waszy and greedy." Jennifer thought. "Where did you go yesterday? I don''t think you applied for leave, but Hans didn''t look for you..." Shey on the pile of documents, blinking her big eyes with a curious face. Jennifer tugged on the document on the top and stared at her. "If you don''t get up,ter when Mr. Hans ask for the documents, I will tell him you were responsible for it. Not only you didn''t finish it yesterday, but you''re still cking off today." "Don''t, don''t, I will get out of the way." Rose quickly stood up, and the ck folder broke free, falling into Jennifer''s hand easily. She flipped open a page, with her pen and sticky notes, she carefully took notes. "Let me tell you a piece of explosive news. Last night, my idol, Jackson had dinner with a young woman." It was not surprising to hear Rose mentioning Jackson. Rose always mentioned him at least seven or eight times a day, and her ears were getting numb. Now that she knew Jackson was Desmond, Jennifer still felt a little weird. However, there was only indifference on her face after she processed her feeling internally. "Oh." Rose was not surprised by Jennifer''s indifference. However, she had her trump card and did not believe that Jennifer would not be stunned by it. "Aren''t you curious who my idol had dinner withst night?" "With who? Don''t tell me it''s you?" Rose''s eyes lit up. "Hey, how did you know? You know, Jackson is so handsome..." "Rose," Jennifer put down her work and looked at her seriously. "If you don''t feel well today, ask for a leave from the HR and go to the hospital. If you can''t, you can go to the psychiatric ward too." When Rose was first obsessed with Jackson, she often talked about Jackson in front of her every day and said that she had a dream of having dinner with Jackson and he proposed to her. She was no longer surprised by Rose''s imagination. "Hey, I''m serious. If I don''t give you some evidence, you''re really..." Rose stomped her feet and indignantly took out her phone and flipped through the photos. "Look..." When Rose showed off her phone in front of Jennifer, she casually looked up, thinking that Rose was ying with photoshop or it was just a poster of Jackson. However, on the screen, the two of them were in a western restaurant. One was gentle and elegant, the other was genial and lively. It looked too real to be a photoshopped picture. Seeing that Jennifer was stunned, Rose wasughing at her for finally realizing it was real. She proudly flipped through all the photos. "Look at this one. I secretly took the picture from behind when Jackson pulled out the chair for me. This one was the steak he rmended. Wow, this one is even more incredible. He saw I was secretly taking pictures of him so he took my phone and took a selfie with me. My God, I must have been dreamingst night..."Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Rose was so excited that she stomped her feet andughed in front of the desk like a madman. She did not notice the mncholy on Jennifer''s face. It might be a coincidence that Jackson took her best friend Rose to dinner, but why did he choose a western restaurant? If she still couldn''t see what he meant, then all the years she had been Jackson''s girlfriend was in vain. That western restaurant was near the high school Jennifer went to before she transferred to another high school. It was expensive so not a lot of students went there. Stephanie promised her a meal of Moreover, she did not give Jennifer enough money to go there by herself with the excuse that it''s not safe for girls to carry a lot of money. At that time, Jennifer routinely spent all her pocket money every month. She might be able to save some money to eat KFC. However, such a high-end western restaurant was definitely out of the question. At that time, she was still chasing Jackson, she would pester him following him around after school. If Jackson hadn''t deliberately walked into the western restaurant to get rid of her that day, she wouldn''t havee up with such a n. "Jackson, do you like the steak from this restaurant? I like it too. Let me buy you dinner." As the son of the major shareholder of the high school, Jackson came from a wealthy family and had a great upbringing. He definitely knew the gentlemanly thing to do was to buy a girl dinner. However, Jennifer did not expect that Jackson was so artistic that he thought money would cheapen his artistic ir, so he never brought any money with him. "I''ve finished eating. Pay the bill and leave." After dinner, Jackson wiped his mouth slowly and picked up his ck schoolbag on the side. Jennifer looked at her Prince Charming with a smile, totally unaware that her Prince Charming had no intention of being a gentleman at this moment. "Jackson, let''s just be friends from now on. Thank you for buying me dinner." "Who said I''m going to buy you dinner? Didn''t you say you would buy me dinner?" Jackson said with a serious face. At that time, Jennifer probably couldn''t even afford a bowl of cream mushroom soup with all the money she had. What happenedter? Later... "Jennifer, let me tell you. Jackson told me that the high school next to this western restaurant was the high school that he went to. He once dine and dash here with his friends. Both of them thought the other person was paying, but they both didn''t bring any money. It was so funny..." Chapter 52: The Best Way to Miss Someone Is to Ignore Them Chapter 52: The Best Way to Miss Someone Is to Ignore Them Jennifer stared at the photo of the western restaurant for a few seconds before someone knocked on the door of the secretary''s office. She looked away at the door as if nothing had happened. "Please The nning department sent the annual artist training n, and they left in a hurry. Jennifer had no time to dwell in her memories. Rose was still lost in the excitement of having dinner with her idol, and she droned on for a long time. "Jackson also said that he hasn''t seen his old friend for a long time. If he had a chance to meet her, he would like to have dinner at this restaurant again. Oh my god, she must have done a lot of good in her past life to be Jackson''s old friend now!" The corners of Jennifer''s mouth couldn''t help twitching. "Why couldn''t Jackson be the one who did a lot of good in his past life to have an old friend like her? "Stupid fan." Jennifer thought. "But Jackson said that his old friend is not willing to meet him now. I really don''t know what''s wrong with his friend." Jennifer was drinking water and coughed. "Everyone has their own thoughts. Something is better to stay as memories." Sometimes the best way to miss someone was to ignore their enthusiasm. Since she didn''t like Jackson anymore, there was no need to make things any moreplicated. However, Rose did not care for this old friend. "I have Jackson''s phone number. He told me it would be convenient for us to contact each other in the future..." Jennifer couldn''t listen anymore. She handed Rose some tissues. "Wipe your saliva. You''re not familiar with him. It''s better to keep some distance. You don''t know what he''s really like." "Hey, hey, hey, you can attack me, but you absolutely can''t attack my idol. Be careful or we can''t be friends anymore.!" Jennifer shrugged and said, "Okay, I won''t say anymore. You continue dreaming... Don''t disturb my work." "Humph..." Rose sneered at Jennifer''s willingness to work herself to death for Hans. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. "I think there is no other man in your eyes except for crazy Hans. I really don''t know what''s so good about that jerk. Is he really worth fighting so hard for? Jackson is better." Jennifer''s face froze thinking of what Hans said in the morning, she felt disappointed. Even if she risked her life for Hans, it wouldn''t be long before he got tired of her and felt no pity for her. In the following few days, in the afternoon when Hans left his office after finishing his business, the secretary''s office was already empty. Jennifer always left thepany hurriedly when she got off work as if she was hiding from something. By the time he came home from socializing with customers, the guest room on the first floor had already turned off the lights and the door was closed. She even went to work very early in the morning. When he changed his clothes and went downstairs for breakfast, the servant said that she had left early in order to catch the bus. So in this period of time, except in the office, Hans had hardly seen her. His insomnia became worse and he had lost his appetite. He felt an emptiness in his heart and it felt worse than when they tortured each other before. "Mr. Hans, tonight''s dinner with the TV station..." James took Hans''s schedule to remind him about his ns tonight. Hans looked at the empty secretary''s office and said expressionlessly, "Cancelled it for me and tell them I''m not feeling well." After saying that, he went back to the office, took his suit jacket and car key, and went straight to the elevator to the underground parking lot. He arrived home at 6:30 and Jennifer had note back yet, which Hans had expected. The train would be crowded at peak hours. She would be extremely lucky if she could even squeeze in. Nancy was surprised that Hans came back so early, and she panicked because dinner was not ready yet. "Mr. Hans, you are back so early... are you having dinner at home?" "Um." "Then I''ll quickly cook up some dishes so you can eat first..." "No hurry, wait for another half an hour." Hans sat at the table and looked at the time. Nancy was confused, why half an hourter? Half an hourter, the vi door swung open, Jennifer came in with her handbag and changed out of her high heels at the entryway. She looked tired. "Nancy, I want to have soup, today..." As soon as she stepped into the living room with her slippers, she saw Hans sitting at the dinner table leisurely holding a bowl. She thought she was hallucinating, so she was stunned for a few seconds and stammered, unable to utter aplete sentence. "Hans... you... why are you..." Nancy stood by the dining table and heard that Jennifer wanted to have soup. She quickly walked to the kitchen. "There''s mushroom soup in the fridge from the morning. I''ll heat it up for you..." With Hans here, Jennifer felt a little scared and dared not to be picky. When Nancy passed by her, she grabbed her. "No... no need, I can eat what you have prepared." She had been deliberately avoiding Hans recently because she was afraid that he would suddenly get annoyed by her and talk about sending her back to the family house again. She was careful when eating for fear of annoying him. She looked at Hans''s face and ate her food bit by bit, like a frightened rabbit. Hans nced at her from the corner of his eye. "You don''t like the food?" "No... I like it... It''s good..." "So it''s fun to y with your food?" There was no expression on Hans''s face. No one could tell what his mood or attitude was. Jennifer''s heart sank and she hurriedly took a big mouthful of pasta. Her cheeks were bulging and even chewing became a problem. She swallowed it with difficulty and her face reddened. Hans frowned, lowered his head and took a bite. He said in a low voice, "The pasta today is not al dente." Nancy, who was standing at the side, was scared out of her wits. "Is that so? Maybe I didn''t boil the pasta enough, I can make it again..." "There''s no need. Is there any soup?" "I... I can make it now..." "Is there any left from the morning?" Nancy was taken aback. "There is, yes, would you like some?" "Yup." Nancy''s eyes widened as if she couldn''t believe what she had heard. She ran away as if she had been pardoned. Seeing her panic, Hans touched his nose and asked, "Do I look scary?" There was no one else there so obviously he was asking Jennifer. She was busy drinking soup. Her throat was not feeling well to begin with, after swallowing a mouthful of pasta, she felt a burning pain in her throat. She was slightly stunned by these words. After a while, she answered honestly, "Between the medium-rare steak, homemade soy milk, and fresh squeeze pulpless orange juice that you are used to, and you just told Nancy you want the leftovers... She must be scared." Not only Nancy was frightened, even Jennifer herself also felt incredulous. Hans had a near-obsession with high-quality food and clothing. This was also the reason why they hadn''t recruited new servants since he fired all the servantsst time. "What else?" he asked. Jennifer''s hand suddenly froze. "What''s wrong with him today?" She thought. "Tell me more about it. What other reasons made the servants think I''m so scary?" Jennifer swallowed her saliva and withdrew her hand from the food. Chapter 53: Calm Before the Storm Chapter 53: Calm Before the Storm Jennifer could not figure out whether Hans meant what he said or not. She never thought that Hans would ept others'' opinions humbly. He was always conceited. "Actually there is not much... just that you always look a little angry..." She lowered her head and carefully observed Hans''s reaction with the corner of her eyes. He lowered his head, eating with a calm face. "Continue." Jennifer coughed twice and boldly said, "You don''t seem to remember the names of the servants before, do you? You just shout for them randomly. Whenever someone did something wrong, all of them will be punished." She looked up at Hans and seeing that he looked calm, she continued. "Take what happened with the aromamp for example. Actually, it was Daisy who stole it. Although other servants might be harbouring her behaviour, you should also figure out why they protected her. Because if someone were toin to you that someone else was stealing, and you can''t remember who was it, you would ask James to dismiss all of them directly. The result would be the same if they wait for you to find out eventually, it''s just a matter of time. That''s why they..." "Ahem..." Hans''s sudden cough shocked Jennifer, and her face suddenly turned pale. "I... I just said it casually... " She looked at Hans, but he didn''t look strange. He just took a sip of water from the cup. "So, sometimes you can change a little when appropriate." "Okay." Hans''s voice was not loud, but it sounded like he had answered her. She could not quite believe it. "Actually, we don''t need too many servants at home. Nancy can handle it by herself. You also remember her name... and you trust her..." Hans nced at her. After she said so much, he finally came to a conclusion. Jennifer must be out of her mind. He looked calm and said, "Whatever you want. If you don''t think it''s troublesome that there is no one serving you, you don''t have to rece the servants." "I don''t think it''s troublesome..." Jennifer nodded quickly. "I always thought it was better to have fewer outsiders in the house. If it''s possible, we don''t even need a servant. When I was at home, there was only oney who helped cook..." Hans''s face suddenly darkened. "The home you''re talking about, is it the Miller''s family or your previous home." Jennifer was slightly stunned, and the smile on her face froze. "Both... both of them. My mother doesn''t like too many servants at home, so..." Yes, no wonder after Thomas married Stephanie, the servants in the house were inexplicably N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. dismissed. Thinking of this, Hans''s face was full of ridicule. His mother, Alice, came from a rich family. She was used to having servants around, and so was Thomas. So after they got married, the number of servants in the house grew and they all had their own duties. The cook wouldn''t help clean and the cleaner wouldn''t help running a bath. When Alice was alive, they even hired a girl as a dog sitter. "Your identity dictates the life you live." The stiff smile on Jennifer''s face disappeared gradually. Although she didn''t quite understand what he was saying, it was probably not something nice. The originally harmonious atmosphere was disrupted by just one sentence. She didn''t quite understand what influenced Hans''s uncertain temperament. If it was because of what she did six months ago, his reaction would have been overkill. After all, he didn''t lose anything that night. She lowered her head and dared not to speak. Luckily, Nancy came back with a bowl of mushroom soup and ced it in front of Hans. "Mr. Hans, your soup is ready." Hans nced at Jennifer, who kept her head down and said nothing. He raised his hand and touched the edge of the bowl, frowning. "It''s too hot." Nancy''s face froze. She quickly reached out to take it and said, "I''ll go to the kitchen and ce it in front of a fan for a while." Seeing her panic look, Hans somehow thought of what Jennifer had just said. He was confused. Was he really too strict with the servants? "Nevermind. I still have a contract to go through." Nancy froze in fear as Hans stood up. She thought he was angry and lowered her head, not daring to say a word. She was afraid that Hans would say that she didn''t have toe to work tomorrow. Jennifer couldn''t bear to see it anymore and muttered in a low voice, "It''s just a little hot and it''ll be fine if you blow it. It will only take a few minutes." Hearing this, Hans nced at Jennifer and said, "Secretary Jennifer, seems like you have a lot of time on your hand. You should have the soup then, I have something else to do." The door of the study on the second floor creaked shut, and his coldness seemed to linger in the living room and the dining room. Nancy looked at the soup on the table, pursed her lips and said, "Miss Jennifer, I''ll get you another bowl." "It''s fine, he hasn''t eaten from this bowl yet." Jennifer picked up the bowl of soup for Hans and put it in front of her. She ate some with a spoon and thought that it tasted good. Seeing Nancy standing aside with a frightened look, she knew that she was very uneasy because of how the servants were dismissedst time. She had been scared and obedient recently. "Nancy, get a bowl of soup and leave it on the table. I''ll bring it to Mr. Hanster." Nancy felt relieved as if a huge weight had been taken off her shoulders. She looked at Jennifer gratefully and said, "Okay, I''ll go right away. Thank you, Miss Jennifer." Looking at Nancy''s back, Jennifer felt a little sorrow. The servants only wanted simple things, they just hoped their boss liked what they cooked and also to not make any mistakes. It just so happened that Hans never praised others. Nancy brought the soup but he didn''t drink it, which made her nervous. After the meal, Jennifer stretchedzily at the table. She always felt veryfortable when Hans was not around and enjoyed her dinner better. When she was about to go back to her room to rest, Nancy brought a bowl of soup from the kitchen and some snacks. She looked at Jennifer expectantly. At this moment, Jennifer regretted agreeing to help Nancy. She looked at the study on the second floor and sighed silently. Ever since she moved to the guest room, she hadn''t been up there in a week, and they seemed to be getting along well. If she brought this soup up, and she happened to catch him in a bad mood, he would get mad and wanted to send her back to the family house again. "Miss Jennifer..." Nancy stared at her, looking pitiful. "Give it... give it to me." Jennifer gritted her teeth, took the bowl from Nancy, took a deep breath, and took a step forward. The solid wood stairs were covered with soft carpets. It was veryfortable to step on them, like stepping on the grass. Jennifer''s heart was beating like crazy. Today, Hans looked different from usual. His attitude towards her was not as tough as usual. Plus, he had a rare chat with her. All of this made her feel like it was the calm before the storm. Chapter 54: Love Started With Borrowing Books Chapter 54: Love Started With Borrowing Books "Knock, knock!" "Come in!" Her footsteps were a little dull, and she stood at the door of the study carefully holding a te of food. "The mushroom soup tastes good. Nancy also made some snacks for supper. You haven''t eaten much at dinner. Would you like some?" Behind the desk, Hans was focused on an artist training contract. He didn''t look up, as if he didn''t hear what Jennifer said. Jennifer pursed her lips and said shyly, "But you don''t eat supper right? Then I... I''d better take it back..." "Leave it here." His cold voice interrupted Jennifer''s passiveness. "Huh?" Surprise shed across her face, and she even thought that she had heard him wrong. Hans lifted his head from his desk. The gold frame of his sses had lessened the sharpness in his eyes. His entire being seemed a little bookish as if they had returned to the time when he sat in the study to help her modify her final year thesis. "Are you deaf? I told you to leave it first, I need to finish reading this contract." "Oh... Okay..." She suddenly came to her senses and avoided his eyes in a panic. Jennifer put the te on the tea table lightly but it still made a nking noise. Jennifer subconsciously turned to look at Hans, afraid of disturbing him. She noticed that he was frowning and looking in her direction. Their gazes collided in the air. It was toote for her to retract her gaze and she did not dare to look straight at him. So they just stared at each other for a long time. Hans was looking deep into her eyes. He was in a daze for a moment, as if everything had gone back to the time right before she graduated a few years ago when she edited her thesis day and night at home. She was so confused and didn''t even know how to change the format of the thesis. "Ahem..." Hans was the first to react. He coughed and lowered his head with his hand covering his mouth. He shifted his eyes back to the contract. Jennifer also looked embarrassed, and there was a hint of awkwardness in the room. In the past half a year, their physical intimacy had not allowed them to be closer emotionally. Besides the necessary interaction at work, their most frequent interaction was the abuse and humiliation Hans hurled at her for no reason. It had been more than half a year since theyst had a proper conversation. Apart from what they did in bed, they were just superior and subordinate, or maybe even strangers. Putting down the te, she stood in the study with some hesitation. Looking at the books covering the wall, she had a thought. "Can I borrow a book?" She vaguely remembered that a famous writer once said that a good rtionship always started with borrowing books, one after another, to and fro. It was the seed of love, and it was where love developed. Although Jennifer did not have high hope that a book could improve her rtionship with Hans, at least it could reduce her embarrassment at the moment. It was the best choice to take a book and then leave the study. Behind her was Hans saying casually, "If you''d like." The whole wall was full of books and it seemed to be a bit troublesome to look for just one book. After a cursory nce, there were books in French, some were in finance, and some were in business management. It seemed that there were no books suitable for her. "Did you find anything?" A voice came from behind. She panicked and picked up a book from the bookshelf. Then she turned around and waved her hand. "Found it. I will take this one. I... I''ll go first..." "Wait a minute." Hans took off his sses and stood up from behind the desk. He frowned and looked at the book in her hand. "You''ve been looking for a long time and this is the book you found?" Jennifer was taken aback and she quickly looked at the book in her hand. Slightly above her thumb was the tranted English title in bold letters, "The Sex Analysis". When she saw the title clearly and the way she was holding it, she could feel all her blood rushing to her face. Her face was burning hot as and she wanted to throw the book out of the window immediately. A trace of ridicule shed through Hans''s eyes. He nced at her and said, "If you like this kind of book, you should find an English trantion. You should know your French level is not good enough." Jennifer swallowed her saliva and stammered, "I... recently feel that studying French could be helpful for work, and this kind of medical... books are beneficial to physical and mental health." The more she tried to exin, the worse it got. The moment she said it, she wanted to p herself. "Oh?" Hans dragged out his tone, leaning against the bookcase. He slightly leaned back and the way he raised his chin made him look prideful and distinguished. When he looked at Jennifer, there was contempt in his eyes. "Beneficial to physical and mental health?" He repeated word by word, looking at Jennifer''s bloodshot face. "Then why are you blushing?" "I..." She touched her cheek instinctively. It was burning, and she couldn''t decide whether to throw the book or just take it with her. She was suddenly at a loss. In her panic, she seemed to hear Hans chuckle, and then his footsteps gradually approached. As soon as she looked up, she was greeted by his chest and the familiar smell of tobo on him. She quivered and wanted to dodge, but her legs were unable to move, as if they were filled with lead. Hans stood in front of her, and reached over her shoulders and encircled her in his embrace. It was getting harder for her to breathe. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. She could feel his chin rubbing her head and his breath gently brushing past her hair. He leaned forward slightly and his chest brushed against her nose. The faint but clear smell of men''s perfume rushed into her nose, mixed with a trace of tobo smell. She felt like it had been too long since she smelled it and she felt a little something. It was the smell that she was used to every single night before. She was only avoiding him for the past few days and she had already missed it. Hans who was standing in front of her moved closer to her. She suddenly lost her bnce, let out a cry and fell backward. "Ah... " The back of her head hit something but it wasn''t as painful as she expected. Her hands instinctively held onto the corner of the bookshelf behind her to prevent herself from falling. Hans, with one hand over her shoulder, leaned his upper body slightly, and his delicate face was so near to hers that it became out of focus again. His nose touched Jennifer''s cheeks and she felt a spark spreading all over her body. A look of astonishment appeared in his widened eyes before he could hide it. She maintained this position for a long time and many thoughts shed through her head. Her heart was pounding so fast she felt like it would leap out of her chest. "Get up now, or are you nning on lying on my hand for the rest of your life?" His cold voice pulled her out of her deep thoughts. She suddenly came to her senses and bnced herself with the help of the bookshelf. At this time, the object at the back of her head was suddenly pulled out and appeared in front of her eyes. Chapter 55: If You Don鈥檛 Understand Anything, I Can Teach You Chapter 55: If You Don¡¯t Understand Anything, I Can Teach You Hans''s fingers were slightly red, probably crushed by the book. He was holding a blue hardcover poetry collection, it was "Stray Birds" by Tagore. Jennifer finally understood that this book saved the back of her head. "Instead of reading sex analysis, which is much more practical than theoretical, women should study poetry for their own self-cultivation." He mmed the book on her chest, she couldn''t help but cough and held the book with one hand. She sniffled and secretly made a face behind Hans''s back. When Hans turned around, he heard the cough and was slightly stunned. He saw her baring her teeth and making faces behind his back. With a slight surprise in his eyes, he went straight to the table and sat down with that bowl of soup. Jennifer held the two books in her hand. She turned around and looked at the bookshelf for a long time. She couldn''t remember where she got the sex analysis book from and scratched her head. "Uhmm, where does this book go?" "You can take it back for research as well," Hans said casually from the couch. The corners of Jennifer''s mouth twitched. "There''s no need. I won''t understand it anyway." "It''s okay. If you don''t understand anything, you cane to me. I''ll teach you." "Ahem..." Jennifer felt as if something was stuck in her throat, and she choked for a moment. "I mean, I will teach you French." Hans turned around and nced at her. She was so embarrassed by his nce that her face was burning, and she dared not to refute any more. She held the books and ran away. Hans saw the way she ran away all flustered, a trace of warmth appeared in his eyes. His slender fingers clung to the edge of the bowl of mushroom soup which had gotten cold. He tasted it and it was good, and it tasted better after it had cooled down. Jennifer ran back to her room on the first floor with two books in her arms. She ignored Nancy''s inquiring eyes and closed the door directly. She was panting heavily behind the door, her face was flushed and she was out of breath. The two books in her hand felt hot to the touch. She looked down and she immediately closed her eyes guiltily and threw the books on the sofa in her room. "Why borrow books for no reason? "Also, what did Hans usually read? No wonder... no wonder in bed..." Jennifer thought. The mental image made her blush again. She stomped her feet and hurried into the bathroom. The next morning, Jennifer got up early as usual and was ready to catch the bus before Hans got up. As soon as she changed clothes and opened her bedroom door, she saw Hans eating at the table. Nancy was busy putting toasts on the table. Seeing Jennifere out, she smiled and said, "Miss Jennifer, you are up. The breakfast is ready, and it''s still early. Have some breakfast before you leave." "Yeah... it''s pretty early..." Jennifer walked toward the table in astonishment. Since she got up early, she had no reason not to have breakfast at home. However, Hans usually only go to work at ten o''clock, why was he already up at seven o''clock today? He was already dressed for work too. She hesitantly sat down at the table and took a bite of the bread Nancy served. "Um, what... what''s up with you today? Why are you up so early?" Hearing this, Hans looked up at her and said, "Thepany will choose the year-end vacation location for the artists these two days, plus the yearly summary for each artist at the end of the year... Do I need to say more?" "There''s no need." Jennifer swallowed the bread and took a sip of the milk beside her. She felt at ease and lost at the same time. After drinking the milk, Hans wiped his mouth slowly. He walked to the sofa to take his coat. Seeing that Jennifer did not get up, he frowned and said, "Aren''t you leaving?" Jennifer stuffed a tomato into her mouth and raised her wrist to look at the time. "It''s still early. I''ll just catch the eight o''clock bus." Hans''s face suddenly darkened. Jennifer realized that something was wrong and added, "Thepany did not inform us that we need to go to work earlier." "As a secretary, your boss was ready to go to work for preparation and yet you still have time to just sit here?" Hans''s words made Jennifer shiver. What was his problem so early in the morning? She thought that since he left for work early, she could finally take her time and not hurry to work. It was very quiet inside the ck SUV. Except for the sound of the wind hurling past the window, Jennifer could hardly hear anything else. She was dizzy and listless. "Did you read the book you borrowedst night?" Suddenly, Hans spoke. With a jolt, she woke up from her daze and replied in confusion, "Which book are you talking about?" "What do you think?" There was a hint of yfulness in Hans''s eyes. Jennifer suddenly realized what kind of mistake she had made. She was basically continuingst night''s mistake. She swallowed and said, "I read a few pages." "How do you feel?" "Feel?" She was a little surprised. "I haven''t read much about Tagore''s poem, but there''s a line I like very much." "Which one?" Jennifer was stunned again. She thought that Hans just asked casually on a whim. She didn''t really think that he would actually discuss poetry with her in the car. So she carefully replied. "If you shed tears when you miss the sun, you also miss the stars." She was never a good student since she was a child, and she was not artistic whatsoever. However, N?velDrama.Org holds this content. she was somewhat interested in things such as poetry and prose. She managed to get into the School of Communication because she could write well and she impressed the interviewers by eloquently talking her way through the entrance interview. Originally, she couldn''t get into any university. If it weren''t Hans who gave her a stack of brochures about art colleges, she probably wouldn''t have even thought about applying it. Since she was young, she had always been well-behaved and followed the life n that Stephanie had nned out for her. She never had her own thoughts about her future. "That line signified that when you lost something, you shouldn''t put all your attention on the thing you lost because there''s no point crying over spilt milk. You can''t do anything about it no matter how sad you are. It''s better to think about what you have currently, so you won''t lose other things too. This poem is quite good, it''s very positive..." Jennifer''s voice was very quiet and gentle in the car, and her analysis of the poem was very straightforward and clear too. A faint perplexed look appeared on Hans''s face, but Jennifer did not notice. "We couldn''t hold on to the past or chase after those who have left, that''s probably what she meant." He thought. "This poem doesn''t make a lot of sense." Hans suddenly interrupted her exnation with a gloomy face. Jennifer looked at him in astonishment. "How did you feel when Stephanie passed away?" Chapter 56: A Certain Death Chapter 56: A Certain Death Hearing Stephanie''s name, Jennifer frowned suddenly. It would be more polite if Hans called her "Aunt Stephanie". However, even disregarding the politeness issue, his question was still somewhat confusing. Was he asking about Stephanie''s death or about how she felt? Perhaps it was because she was used to analysing Hans''s every word and every action, his straightforward question sounded like a trap to her. Hans slowed down the car and looked at her calmly as if he was just asking casually. "It felt like the whole world was copsing in on me." She answered honestly. When Stephanie was alive, her rtionship with Hans was not that close, but it was amicable. When he didn''te home for dinner, she would ask Jennifer to pack up the food and send it to him. During the festive season, she would also call him toe home for dinner. Jennifer personally felt that Hans had no hatred for her mother. After all, her mother was not a mistress, she only married into the Miller''s family half a year after Alice died. It was not easy being a stepmother and Jennifer felt like Stephanie had tried her best. It would really be something else to have Hans call her Aunt Stephanie. When Thomas and Stephanie had a car ident, Hans was the first person to receive a call. At that time, Jennifer was in thepany, sorting out documents in Thomas''s office. Hans called her, asked her to take a taxi to the hospital, and don''t panic. His ''don''t panic'' made her feel as if it was all going to be okay. She didn''t say this to Hans. At this moment, Hans''s eyes were a little cold. It seemed that he was not interested in her narrative. He asked lightly, "What kind of person do you think your mother is?" "My mum?" Jennifer hesitated for a while. "My mum was a nice person, maybe a little bit vain, but she worked hard herself to afford the branded bags and other luxurious items. She was a workaholic, she was passionate, and she danced very well. I remembered that at that time Uncle Thomas liked to y some music at home with my mom, and they would dance. I walked in on them a few times, it was quite embarrassing." "I used to think that Thomas was a good person too. He was smart, talented, and ambitious. He managed Joy Group very well. When he handed it to me, it went very smoothly. Some of the other branches and some of the shop fronts he rented out were also very reliable. There had never been any legal disputes." It was rare for Hans to speak with such sincerity, Jennifer was not used to it. She chimed in and said, "Uncle Thomas was indeed a good person. He took me and my mother in and he was very good to us..." "What you see is not necessarily the truth." Hans suddenly nced at her. "My father was not a good person, so you should not naively think that your mother is a good person either." Jennifer frowned at his words. Did he have something against Stephanie? Or even Thomas? She didn''t want to ruin the rare harmony between them so she held back her argument. She pursed her lips and said, "There are two sides to everyone. No one in the world is absolutely perfect." Hans frowned and held the steering wheel tightly, not saying anything. After arriving at thepany, Hans sat in the office, opened the drawer, and there was a photo on top of a stack of documents. In the picture was an innocent girl with a ponytail and she was in a school uniform. There was a crack in the middle of the photo. Even though it was glued, it was not perfect. A crack split the girl in half from the top of her head to her waist. Hans felt uneasy after looking at it for a long time. James came in with a stack of files in his arms, and said with a serious look, "Mr. Hans, about the driver who caused the ident you asked me to investigate. The driver owed about fifty or sixty thousand dors to an underground casino. He''s an alcoholic who would hit his wife every time he drinks at home. Last year, his wife left him for a rich man. By the way, the driver has many records of driving under influence and causing minor idents over the years. But his ex-wife secretly handled the issue for him. It''s quite strange." Hans nodded. "You meant that what happened back then was an ident?" James frowned when Hans mentioned this. "I was about to get to this. I visited his neighbours and they said that he was a teetotal ten years ago. He was just an ordinary truck driver. However, his ie was not stable and his son had congenital heart disease. They had been saving up for a heart bypass surgery. Ten years ago after the ident, he was detained for a while and after he was released, his son had the surgery. However, the child was unlucky. The surgery failed and he died on the operating table. This is why he became an alcoholic." Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. There was a strange look on Hans''s face. "You said that the child had the surgery after he was released? Where did he get the money?" "I haven''t found out yet. This man lives in the old alley. His neighbours are all old. Some of them have a bad memory and some have moved away. This is all I have found so far and I reported back to you right away." "Go and find out who paid for the operation." Hans''s face darkened. He had a hunch that the answer was going to turn his life upside down again. Eleven years ago, after Alice was diagnosed with terminal stage cancer, she couldn''t get out of bed for a long time and she didn''t want to see anyone. Somehow, she suddenly felt better for a while. The doctor said it was terminal lucidity and they should be mentally prepared for the worst. Hans hadn''t told Thomas about the cancer and Thomas seldom went home, often spending the night in thepany. During that time, Alice suddenly changed into a different person, she delivered packed lunch and dinner to him every day. She was delivering dinner when she was hit by a truck. She didn''t have much time left anyway at that time but she perished instantaneously. At Alice''s funeral, Thomas''s cries touched everyone who attended the funeral. Even Hans also thought that although his father didn''t seem like he care about his mother all these years, he still had feelings for her deep down. It was the first time that he saw his stoic father crying like that. He felt a little sorry for him, so he changed his mind about wanting to make his father feel guilty and tell him about the cancer. "Mom had terminal stage stomach cancer. She was diagnosed half a year ago but I haven''t told you about it. Although this was an ident, the doctor had already said that she couldn''tst till the end of the month. So don''t me yourself too much." After a short pause of surprise, Thomas cried louder and louder. After the funeral, he locked himself in the bedroom alone and didn''t leave his room for half a month. At that time, Hans thought that his mother''s love for his father was not in vain seeing how deeply he loved her. Too bad that she couldn''t see it herself. Chapter 57: Fate Has a Way of Bringing People Together Chapter 57: Fate Has a Way of Bringing People Together In the afternoon, when Jennifer sent the documents to Hans, she noticed that he seemed to be in a bad mood. The cup of coffee beside him had turned cold and he hadn''t even touched it. Plus, the contract she sent in an hour ago was still on the same page in his hand. Hans never did anything pointless. He always checked everything meticulously the first time around. He never had to look at the same documents twice. So there were only two possibilities as to why he was still on the same page. Either there was something wrong with this page, or he was not looking at the contract at all. Jennifer turned her head and nced. The first page was about thepany culture between the two There couldn''t be any problem here, right? Putting down the document in her hand, Jennifer asked cautiously, "Mr. Hans, is there any problem with this page?" Back then, Stephanie taught her the importance of lifelong learning and she was always encouraged to ask questions. As a woman, especially a beautiful woman, her greatest advantage was that even if the question she asked was stupid, the other person would still answer happily. Hans shifted his focus from thepany culture document to Jennifer''s small face with light makeup. She leaned over slightly, looking at his desk. When she leaned over, her corbones under her white neck were exposed. Under her corbone near her chest, there was a faint ck mole that exuded a fatal attraction. It seemed that Jennifer didn''t know her charm, she would unintentionally show off certain qualities that were sexy. Hans''s schoolmates from abroad identally saw Jennifer on a video call once and called her a sexy goddess. At that time, Jennifer had just started university. She rushed into his room in a tennis skirt, asking him to teach her how to y tennis. Kevin happened to see her through the video call. After that, Kevin pestered Hans daily for a whole month, asking for a chance to speak alone with Jennifer. "No, why do you ask?" Hans looked at her with his thoughts running wild. His rare good mood surprised Jennifer a little. After the initial shock, she answered honestly, "Because you have been reading this page for more than an hour, I was wondering if there is something wrong with it so I can ask the business department to modify it." Hans was slightly stunned and was pulled back from his thoughts by Jennifer''s sharp reminder. He coughed dryly, picked up the coffee next to him and said, "There''s nothing wrong, I''m just waiting for a video conference." Jennifer looked at him in surprise as he picked up the cup of coffee and drank it. Her eyes widened in surprise. "That..." "Is there anything else?" A trace of bitterness slipped down his throat. Hans did not notice anything wrong. He only felt confused when he saw Jennifer''s puzzled look. "The coffee is cold. Do you need me to get you a new one?" Jennifer carefully pointed to the cup in his hand. Only then did Hans feel a chill in his throat. It was a little quiet in the office. He pursed his lips and the embarrassment in his eyes shed away, he still looked calm. "Cold coffee tastes better. There''s no need to change it. You can go out now."N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Jennifer was slightly stunned. She nodded doubtfully and walked out of the office. Rose was busy working on theputer to modify the data. She was too busy to lift her head up even when she saw Jennifere back. "Hurry, make me a cup of coffee. My eyelids are almost glued together. What''s the finance department doing? This typesetting is ridiculous, I''m going blind looking at it." Jenniferughed and said, "It was because you are sozy. You can''t even do such simple data processing. What will you do if you change your job?" Hearing this, Rose was slightly stunned and suddenly looked up at Jennifer solemnly. "You''re right. I can''t rely on your support. I''ll start learning these things today. I must learn them and then change jobs!" "Since when did I support you? You are also relying on yourself now. It''s not like you just graduated from university." Jennifer could not help but correct her. "I always relied on your support..." Rose whispered, but dared not let Jennifer hear it. Jennifer took the cup on her table and went straight to the pantry. Standing in the pantry, she looked at the remaining cold coffee in Rose''s cup and suddenly remembered what Hans had just said. "Did the coffee taste better cold?" She thought. There was no one around, so she took a sip. "Hmm..." She covered her mouth and forced herself to swallow. "It was so bitter... "What was wrong with Hans?" She wondered. At this time, theptop screen on the desk in the president''s office twitched and a man''s handsome facial features appeared, with chestnut-coloured curly hair, deep-set eyes, and sharp facial features, it was obvious that he was biracial. He was waving his hand to Hans enthusiastically, sending out several air kisses, as if hoping he could jump out of the screen. "Hello, Hans, long time no see..." Hans was used to his enthusiasm and he rolled his eyes in disgust. "Kevin, be normal. No wonder you can only attract men, not women." "You bring up my sore spot again..." Kelvin made an overexaggerated sad face. He pursed his lips at Hans and said, "You have so many women around you, how great is that? Unlike me, I only have ¡®goris¡¯ keeping mepany in the forest." "You can find a female gori." Hans looked indifferent. The screen shook violently, and Kelvin went crazy on the screen. "Hans, you are a cruel man without sympathy. Why did you get sexy goddess and not me? It''s not fair." It had been many years since Hans was bombarded by Kevin. This was the first time he had mentioned Jennifer since then. Initially, Hans thought that he had forgotten about Jennifer, but he didn''t expect Kevin to bring her up again. He looked surprised. "You still remember her?" On the screen, the handsome man looked proud, and his chin was almost touching the screen. "What''s wrong? Just because I can''t get her now I can''t even remember anymore? Half a month ago, I went back home and saw news about you. You have so many women around you. I regret that I gave you the sexy goddess..." "Gave?" Hans thought. Hansughed involuntarily. Kevin had begged and bribed him for a month and he did not even get Jennifer''s contact information, not to mention a formal meeting. He was quite imaginative. "Kevin, she doesn''t know you at all. You can''t be this narcissistic, otherwise, you really would be single for the rest of your life." Hans kindly reminded. On the other side of the screen, Kelvin smiled knowingly. "Don''t you have a saying that fate has a way of bringing people together? If you tell me now that you don''t like her, I will pack up my tent, say goodbye to the ¡®goris¡¯, and go to the city to buy the next ticket to meet her." Hans''s brows furrowed without him knowing. He asked in a deep voice, "Kevin, are you serious?" Chapter 58: If You Hadn鈥檛 Fallen in Love With Her Long Ago Chapter 58: If You Hadn¡¯t Fallen in Love With Her Long Ago A smile was still stered on Kevin''s face, though the smile was more yful than before. Hans, who was usually calm, showed a hint of impatience in his eyes after noticing Kevin''s strange look. "Kevin, that was not funny." "I have never seen you care so much about a woman." On the other side of the screen, Kevin was showing his white teeth, with rare seriousness in his smile. "Even when we were at school, you didn''t even take a proper look at the arrogant popr girls, let alone asking me which woman I didn''t take seriously. Hans, you are really serious this time." A trace of strangeness shed across Hans''s face, and he avoided Kevin''s eyes. "It''s just a woman. There are so many women in the world, and no one is indispensable." "So do you mean that I can woo her?" "No way." Hans said that without even thinking, he reflexively nced at Kevin on the screen. "Oh, okay then..." Kelvin shrugged and shook the screen a few times. "I knew you would be like this. Back then when I pestered you for a month, you didn''t even let me see her once. When I realized how overprotective you were over her, I knew that you like her more than a sister." Hans frowned and looked like he wanted to refute. "Hans, don''t lie to yourself. You said no one is indispensable, but you won''t know it until you lose her." "Kevin, I..." "Well, I''m going to have a date with my ''gori'' princess. Let''s just stop here. I think you''re in a good mood recently. I hope you can introduce her to me next time as your girlfriend..." Kevin''s face broke into a grin. "Remember, it''s not that I''ve failed to woo her. I let you have her because you''re my best friend. If you hadn''t fallen in love with her a long time ago, I would never have missed such a good opportunity. If there''s no progress next time, I''ll take the initiative. Don''t regret it then." Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Although he knew that Kevin was joking, Hans still felt inexplicably nervous. The video on theputer shed a few times and returned to the main screen''s blue interface. Hans frowned for no reason and looked up at the door of the president''s office as if he could see the busy figure inside the secretary''s office through the door. In the afternoon, half an hour before they finished work, Rose just came back from the nning Department with a pile of food and drinks. It was obvious that she heard something good there. "Here, these things are for you." Rose put most of the food in her arms on Jennifer''s table, and said with a smile, "Let''s go to the nning Department dinner after work." Jennifer was busy crosschecking data and did not look up. "Did John, the manager of the nning Department invite you to dinner again?" "He didn''t just invite me, he invited the whole secretary''s office." "You go ahead. I have something to do after work." "What''s the matter? What''s this important thing you need to do? You have to eat, don''t you?" Rose grabbed her wrist and refused to let go. Jennifer couldn''t focus on work because of this so she looked up at her. "Come on. I have to finish this as soon as possible so I don''t have to work overtime. I have to buy a new pher." She hadn''t had the time to buy a new phone after breaking it outside thepanyst time. She was using an old phone but it was not convenient. She even missed customers'' calls several times. "It''s just a mobile phone. You can''t buy it at any time. Just go with me to dinner first, I''ll go shopping with you after dinner..." Jennifer frowned. "I don''t drink..." "Who said we are drinking?" Seeing Jennifer was giving in, Rose looked happy. "You don''t have to drink. If someone asks you to drink, I will drink for you, alright?" "I have to go home before 10 o''clock." "All right, all right..." Rose looked as if everything was negotiable. Jennifer had a headache thinking about Rose''s track record. She always said yes in the beginning, but the reality was thatter on, it would spiral out of control. Before getting off work, Jennifer knocked on the president''s office door. "Come in..." Hans said with a hint of authority. Jennifer closed the door and stood a little far away from Hans. "The nning Department is having dinner tonight. I might go home a littleter tonight." She didn''t want to repeat the same mistakes. It was better to inform Hans in advance about any gathering in the evening in order to avoid the same thing from happening again. Hans seemed to be thinking about something, he looked absent-minded when she came in. He was in a daze when he heard what Jennifer said and frowned. "What does the nning Department''s gathering have anything to do with you?" "The manager of the nning Department, John, was close with Rose. Their department has always cooperated well with us, so it was their manager''s idea to invite us to dinner..." The department manager could make decisions about the private gathering of each department, they didn''t have to ask Hans for permission. Moreover, it seemed that they were paying for themselves for this dinner and it was after work hours, so they really didn''t have to get Hans''s permission. When Hans heard Rose''s name, his face slightly rxed. He said indifferently, "This is your own business. You don''t need to ask for my permission." Jennifer was slightly stunned, and she looked incredulous. Hans had always been overbearing and liked to intervene in everything. Now Hans was saying that it had nothing to do with him, she felt as if she was in a dream. Thinking of how he had been polite and estranged these days, she felt a twinge of sadness. Coming out of the president''s office, Jennifer looked lost. Rose had already packed up her own bag, picked up Jennifer''s bag, and locked the door of the secretary''s office. She carefully approached her ear and whispered. "Did he say yes?" Jennifer was stunned for a few seconds and nodded. He said that it had nothing to do with him so he did not really agree or disagree. It was more like he did not care. Rose did not know what had happened, and she thought that Jennifer looked upset because Hans had ridiculed her. She could not help but be a little angry. "What the hell, do you even have personal freedom? Let''s just ignore him, Jennifer." Jennifer stopped for a moment and forced a smile looking at Rose. She pretended to be rxed and said, "Never mind. Let''s just leave early, otherwise, we won''t be able to squeeze into the subway during peak hour." Speaking of this, Rose gave her a knowing look. "Taking the subway? Don''t make meugh. The people in the nning Department are buying us dinner. They have eight managers in four departments and all of them earned over a million dors each year. If they don''t even have cars, how can they bring girls to dinner?" "Girls?" Jennifer''s face grew serious. "Other departments? Isn''t this a nning Department dinner?" Rose snickered. "Yes, the nning Department nned it, and it was a perk for all the eligible bachelors in thepany. We are both honoured guests..." Chapter 59: Group Blind Date Chapter 59: Group Blind Date "What eligible bachelor?" Jennifer faintly realized that something was wrong and looked at Rose who was shorter than her. Rose felt a little guilty by the way Jennifer looked at her. She swallowed her saliva and said, "Well, it''s nice to get a free meal. I am single, and you... are also single..." "Who do you think I am?" Jennifer suddenly realized that this was not a department dinner at all, and her facial expression changed. "I''m not going..." "Don''t..." Rose grabbed Jennifer''s wrist and stopped her from leaving. Just then a ck BMW pulled out of thepany garage. Through the window, they saw John from the nning Department smiling politely. The car slowly stopped in front of them. Jennifer didn''t want to argue with Rose in front of others, so she suddenly stopped. The window of the ck BMW slowly rolled down. John sat in the driver''s seat and smiled at Jennifer. "I hope you haven''t waited for long, Secretary Jennifer, Secretary Rose..." Jennifer was about to say that she was not going anymore when Rose spoke first. "No, no, we haven''t waited long. Let''s go..." As she said this, she opened the back seat door and stuffed Jennifer in. She also got in the car and gave Jennifer a look. Jennifer relented, she could not embarrass Rose in front of others. She could only sit gloomily, bowed her head down, and questioned Rose through messages. "Tell me what kind of dinner is this?" Rose was busy chatting with John when her phone got a notification and she met with Jennifer''s fierce gaze. She instantly understood and looked down at her phone. "It''s just an ordinary dinner. The nning Department really did invite us to dinner. Not only you and me but also other girls in thepany. Several new interns of their department are also going..." "All single?" Rose pursed her lips and looked up at Jennifer, with a look that confirmed Jennifer''s suspicion. Jennifer frowned and turned her head, looking out of the window on the other side. She was toozy to argue with her. Rose was too bold. If Hans knew that she didn''t go to a department dinner, but to have a group blind date that was secretly nned by this staff under his nose, she would be in big trouble. It was too crazy. "Secretary Jennifer, are you not feeling well today? You look a little sick." John, who was driving, asked carefully. Jennifer was absent-minded. When she suddenly heard her name, she froze for a moment, nced at Rose who was sitting quietly at the side, and said softly, "Nothing, it''s just that I haven''t been to department gatherings in a long time. I heard that there are also interns there. They might not feel After all, she was close with Hans. Everyone was afraid that she would report back to Hans when something happened. Although she didn''t do that, everyone in thepany treated her as Hans''s spy. John smiled at her remark. "Do you not want to have dinner with those young interns? If you don''t want to, how about this, I''ll make a call and reserve another room. There will be fewer people, just a few of us..." Hearing this, Jennifer''s face grew even gloomier. She didn''t know whether John really misunderstood what she meant, but his words made her feel a little ufortable. Rose knew Jennifer''s temper best. Jennifer didn''t like this kind of gathering anyway, She would avoid it even more now that they tell her there would be even fewer people. It would be quite an embarrassing situation if she just left. "There''s no need. She was just joking. We haven''t met the new interns yet so now is a good opportunity. We are going to work together in the future, it''s better this way." "That''s true..." John pushed the sses on his nose. There was very little privatemunication between Jennifer and other people in thepany. She was too strict and cautious at work. It wasmon knowledge that most of the staff were afraid of her. Rose had always been active. She was familiar with all the departments, be it manager or salesman. There were a lot of people who asked her for favours. As long as it was not too overboard and did not harm thepany''s interests, she would help as much as she could or she would get Jennifer to help. John had been trying to get on her good side for a while now. He was the deputy manager in the nning Department and he was rtively new in thepany. He was headhunted from another mediapany. He was quite capable and became the deputy manager at such a young age. The recent excellent proposals from their department were mostly his ideas. Rose was quite impressed by him. Jennifer originally decided to leave early after arriving at the restaurant, but she was worried when she saw Rose chatting happily with John. Rose was very inexperienced when it came to rtionships. Jennifer was afraid that she would be deceived easily. John looked honest, but he always gave Jennifer a yer vibe. She was not sure if her intuition was wrong, but she did not feel like John really liked Rose all that much. Joy Group. Staff was leaving work in droves. James handed in hisst assignment, took a look at the time, and knocked on the door of the president''s office. Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. "Mr. Hans, do you need to order dinner in or do you have other arrangements?" Hans did not have any ns tonight. He should have gotten off work earlier, but James did not know what Hans was thinking. It was his duty to remind him to eat when it''s time. Hans looked at the time. It was 19:30. "There''s no need, it''s gettingte. You can get off work first." James nodded and turned to go out. "The nning department is having a gathering tonight?" Suddenly, Hans asked casually from behind. However, the timing made the question sound a little abrupt even if the tone was casual. James rolled his eyes, but he didn''t remark on it. "Yes, the few deputy managers nned to have a dinner together. They also want to wee their new interns." They invited him too, but he always finished work at a weird time. As long as Hans needed him, he had to work, so he did not go to the dinner. "Deputy managers? The nning department takes these interns very seriously then..." Hans''s tone was calm. James chuckled and said knowingly, "They say it''s a wee dinner, but it was just the bunch of bachelors from the nning Department saw that there are many female interns this year, and some were quite beautiful. They want to take advantage of it before the interns quit due to the workload. I heard that they also invited some female employees from other departments." Chapter 60: Thinking the Worst of Him Chapter 60: Thinking the Worst of Him Hans''s face suddenly darkened, but his tone remained calm. "You are saying that everyone going to this dinner is single?" "The men in the nning Department are mostly single. Except for a few directors who are older and married, it seems the rest of them are going. Although some are married, they still go for fun..." The nning Department of Joy Group had always had a heavy workload. They were working overtime five days a week. Sometimes, they would get called back for work on weekends by a phone call and they would have toe in no matter where they were. The intensity had caused a serious imbnce in the male to female ratio in their department. Even if they recruit female employees every year, barely anyone couldst for half a year. Plus if they got married and had children in the future, they would have to quit. Due to their workload and appreciation to their department from Hans, they had a whole floor to themselves as their office. On paper, they were independent and free from outside interference. But in reality, they were isted from the outside world. It was even more difficult for them to get to know women from other departments. "Did Mr. Liam from Dynasty Group call in the afternoon..." "Ah?" James was a little surprised. He didn''t realize they had gone from talking about the department dinner to the clients. But since he had been with Hans for so many years, he was quick on his feet. He said in a hurry, "He called three times. The first was his assistant called to confirm tomorrow''s dinner. The other two..." "Call and tell him that I''m busy tomorrow. Let''s move up the dinner to tonight." Dynasty Group was interested in bing a shareholder in Joy Group, Mr. Liam had been calling them very often. Hans wanted to coborate with them since they had the capital, but he had been hiding his interest to leave them wanting more. "Mr. Hans, this... I''m afraid it''s not appropriate... there..." James was on the spot. They made an appointment and couldn''t change sost minute. "Just say that Monica ising." After ncing at James, Hans stood up and wore his coat, leaving James no time to refute. Upon hearing Monica''s name, James''s face stiffened. A trace of strangeness shed across his eyes. He nodded hastily and made a call. Everyone knew that Mr. Liam was interested in Monica. Although there was gossip between Monica and Hans, one of them was just a celebrity and the other was a CEO after all. Hans held absolute power in this situation. Since he did not acknowledge Monica to the public, it was proof that he was not serious about her. Naturally, there would be other men of Hans''s stature courting Monica. After testing the water a few times, Mr. Liam already knew that Hans was just having fun with Monica. Monica might not get it, but as a man, he understood immediately. In a private room of a high-end Japanese restaurant. Jennifer pulled Rose, who was already tipsy from the drinks and gestured her to stop drinking. "Secretary Jennifer, let me propose a toast to you. It''s the first time I''ve seen you joining us for a dinner after so long ..." John, who sat opposite Jennifer, was the one who wanted to drink with her. It was also his frequent toasts that made Rose drunk. "I said that Jennifer doesn''t drink, I will drink for her." As expected, Rose was being chivalrous again. She went forward to grab the ss and Jennifer hurriedly stopped her. As she was grabbing the ss, Rose copsed on the table. John pushed his sses on the bridge of his nose and smiled. "Secretary Rose seems to have too much to drink. She shouldn''t drink anymore. I just want to propose a toast to Secretary Jennifer. Nothing will happen. The alcohol content is low." As he said this, he winked at several female interns beside Jennifer. These interns were not as naive as Jennifer thought. They were smart and eloquent, especially the girl named Elena sitting next to Jennifer. She raised her ss and smiled very brightly. "If Secretary Jennifer really can''t drink, then I''ll drink for her." Jennifer frowned. If she let the new intern drank for her, surely it would make its way to thepany that she bullied the new intern. "There''s no need. How about this? Rose had too much to drink. I will need to send her home early. I will drink to this as an apology that we can''t stay till the end." Jennifer picked up her ss, her tone was polite and formal. She was strict and rigidpared to those interns who disappeared into the bathroom with the deputy managers early on in the dinner, doing unspeakable things. John did not stop her and watched Jennifer drink a ss of wine. "Can I leave now?" Jennifer put down the cup and looked at John calmly. She had high alcohol tolerance, especially since she had attended manypany dinners with Hans these years. As a secretary, she was good at pretending. She had drunk enough on those asions that now she would feel disgusted when she saw alcohol. She would not drink unless it was necessary. "You said you can''t drink but you could! Judging from this, I think you can outdrink many people." Jennifer smiled politely and lowered her head to support Rose. "I have drunk the wine so we will leave first. Thank you for your hospitality." After a few rounds of drinking, the managers also found their targets and got up one after another, ready to leave along with Jennifer. "Luna had too much to drink, I will send her back. Elena, you can follow John," Mr. Davidson said, he was a manager from the nning Department. He was over forty years old and had a family, yet he still attended this kind of dinner. Jennifer did not like him since the beginning, but fortunately, he was smart enough to not provoke Jennifer. His target was the new intern, Luna. Luna was also good at making trouble too. After drinking two sses of wine, she didn''t even know who she was anymore. Jennifer got goosebumps listening to the way she called Mr. Davidson. The only sober people in the restaurant besides John were probably Elena, who was good at drinking, Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. and Jennifer. The three of them watched Luna and Mr. Davidson leave together twice. When they came back, their clothes were disheveled and they looked flushed. They knew exactly what had happened. "How about this, Secretary Rose was drunk too. I will send the threedies back together. After all, I drove them here. I have to be responsible." John stood up and ttened the creases on his white shirt. He still looked well-dressed in all the chaos. Jennifer frowned. "No, I can take a taxi with Rose..." "You probably can''t get any at this time, the taxi is changing shifts. Don''t worry, Secretary Jennifer, there are three of you here, two of you are sober. I can''t do anything, can I? There are so many of you guys that if you each kick me once, I would probably be in the hospital..." John smiled at ease knowing that it would be impolite for Jennifer to reject as she would be thinking the worst of him. Chapter 61: Relationship Should Be Mutually Beneficial Chapter 61: Rtionship Should Be Mutually Beneficial Jennifer couldn''t hold Rose and hail a taxi at the same time, so she had to leave Rose with Elena. She didn''t want to go with John. It was the middle of the night, no one knew what would happen, especially when she was with Rose who could barely move. "The designated driver is here..." Elena opened the door and put Rose into John''s car. Then, she waved at Jennifer. "Secretary Jennifer, the designated driver is here. Get in the car quickly. You can''t get a taxi here." Jennifer looked back and saw that Rose already slumped over in the backseat. She immediately panicked and hurried over to pull her out. "No, Rose and I live not far from here. We''ll take the subway if we can''t get a taxi." Jennifer held the car door. "Elena, do me a favor. Help me pull her out." "Hello?" Elena suddenly took out her mobile phone from her bag and answered a phone call. She looked at Jennifer apologetically. "My boyfriend said he''sing to pick me up. Secretary Jennifer, just go with John. My boyfriend is here. Goodbye..." "Secretary Jennifer, just get in the car. There''s a designated driver, what are you worried about?" John''s hand went along the car door and touched her elbow. She stiffened and shook him off. She took two steps back and kept a distance from John. "John, it''s toote. You''re drunk. I have to make sure Rose is safe, I have to take her with me." "Then go, take her with you..." John leaned against the car door, looking like he was drunk. "I''m letting you guys go now, Secretary Jennifer." "You..." "If you don''t want to leave, then I''m leaving. Secretary Rose is very drunk. I have to send her back home safely." He sat in the back seat, and Rose, who was barely conscious, leaned on his shoulder in a daze. Jennifer panicked. "Hey, wait a minute..." John poked his head out of the car and looked at Jennifer with a faint smile. "What''s wrong?" "I''ll sit with Rose, you sit at the front." She figured that John would not dare to do anything. After all, they work in the samepany and they would see each other at some point. At most, he was just finding an opportunity to get closer to them. If Rose hadn''t drunk too much, she wouldn''t have bothered with such a person. In front of the Japanese restaurant, a group of people had just finished their meal. There were men and women among the mix, with a man standing out with his handsome look, his slender body, and his tall figure. The woman standing beside him was wearing delicate makeup. The wine-red coat could not hide her impressive figure. She was apanying a greasy middle-aged man, talking andughing. "Mr. Liam, I''m sorry I had to change our dinner n to tonight so suddenly. Let''s go out for dinner again some time, my treat. I hope you can make time for me." Her voice was very charming, any man would fall for her voice. Mr. Liam patted her on the back and said, "Monica, I have a few bottles of liquor in my private collection. If you have time tonight, how about we have a few drinks?" Monica remained calm. "Oh, Mr. Liam, you must have forgotten after all the fun we are having. I had work tomorrow, otherwise, why would I suddenly change the dinner to tonight? Next time, Mr. Liam, next time..." "Really? Don''t lie to me..." "Of course. Mr. Liam, your car is here. It''s windy outside. Get in the car..." After seeing off Mr. Liam, Monica let out a long sigh of relief and reached out to hold Hans''s arm. "Hans, this is all for you. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have bothered to deal with these old men. You have to do something nice for me." Hans took a step down the stairs as if he didn''t hear her. Monica''s arms missed his and she looked a little embarrassed. "It''s gettingte. You have work tomorrow. Go back and rest early." Monica bit her lip and moved closer to Hans, not giving up. Her voice was very soft. "Hans, it''s sote. It''s not safe for me to go back alone. Won''t you send me home?" Hans''s gaze was on a ck BMW in the distance, and his eyes grew cold. "James, send Monica back." James, who had been standing aside quietly, was slightly stunned. "Yes..." "Hans..." Monica wanted to say something but was interrupted by James. "Miss Baker, this way please." Sitting in James''s car, Monica''s face immediately darkened. "Your boss is really heartless, he thinks he can just call me up and kick me away as he pleased." James started the car and slowly headed to the road. His voice was gentle. "Mr. Hans has always been like this. Compared to other women, he treats Miss Baker especially well." "That''s only because I can help him keep customers and business partners." Monica was very self-aware, otherwise, she would not have made a name for herself in the entertainment industry not long after her debut. In the past, it was okay for her to just have fun with men, but as she grew older, she had to get married and find a good partner. There was no doubt that Hans was the best candidate. "Since you already know, why are you still willing to stay by Mr. Hans''s side?" James couldn''t help asking. "What can I do? The most stable rtionship is the one that''s mutually beneficial. I''m valuable to him so he keeps me by his side. I need his protection so I''m willing to help him." "What if one day you are no longer valuable to him?" "Impossible..." Monica retorted without thinking. Seeing her delicate appearance in the rearview mirror, she was slightly stunned and realized that she had lost herposure. She frowned and said, "James, Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. you are quite chatty today." James''s face changed slightly. He stopped for a few seconds and said lightly, "It''s because I care about you." Monica''s face softened a little, and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile. "I should thank you. You have indeed helped me out a lot. If it weren''t for you, I wouldn''t have known the ces that he frequented. How about this? I will get you a big gift during Christmas." "No, I''m happy to do this for you." James sounded a little weird. Monica stared at the back of his head suspiciously for a while, feeling that something was wrong with him today. James felt the gaze behind him and quickly changed the subject. "You haven''t answered my question yet." "Huh?" Monica was a little surprised and remembered his question. After thinking for a while, she smiled and said, "It''s impossible. I will hurry up and make him realize that he wants to marry me. He has no other women. Even if he does, it''s just for fun. No one had been beside him for longer than I did." As she spoke, she seemed very confident that she would be Mrs. Miller one day. Indeed, from the moment he started working in Joy Group, he was known as the sessor of thepany. There were many women around her. In recent years, the gossips surrounding him were no less than that of a popr celebrity. However, those women around him did notst long. The only one who had been there for more than half a year was Monica. She didn''t notice James''s face turned sad all of a sudden. Chapter 62: The Hero and the Damsel in Distress Chapter 62: The Hero and the Damsel in Distress John''s car stopped in front of Rose''s house. Jennifer hurriedly helped Rose out of the car. Rose was slumping over her, she had to exert all her strength to hold Rose firmly. "If you don''t mind, I''ll do it." John got out of the car from the passenger seat. He was half a head taller than Jennifer. He was N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. politely asking Jennifer for her opinion. "No, I''ll send her up. It''s gettingte, I''m staying here. John, you can go back first." "I''ll help you send Secretary Rose upstairs." "It''s fine. I''ll just ask the security guard for help..." "Secretary Jennifer, you don''t have to be so polite..." As he spoke, John grabbed one of Rose''s arms and put it on his shoulder. He held her waist with his other hand and steadied her. "Let go of her." Seeing his wandering hand, Jennifer immediately frowned and her voice grew cold. "John, I said I don''t need help." John was slightly stunned, and there was a little embarrassment on his delicate face. He put down Rose, leaned her against the door, and pushed his sses with his hand. "Secretary Jennifer, do you have any misunderstanding about me? I have a good rtionship with Rose. I am not the kind of person who takes advantage of others." "If you want to woo Rose, you can do it openly, you shouldn''t use such dirty means." "Dirty means?" "We all worked in the samepany. I don''t have to say it out loud." When he was holding Rose just now, his hands were wandering all over her body. Rose was so drunk that she didn''t feel anything at all. "Dirty?" It sounded like a joke to John. "Secretary Jennifer, you disgust me." Jennifer''s face changed. She didn''t understand what he meant. "Everyone in thepany knows the rtionship between Rose and Mr. Hans. The secretaries are not some innocentdies. Why are you pretending to be naive in front of me? Do you want me to make it clear? I know that you two are fooling around with Mr. Hans." "What nonsense are you talking about? Don''t forget your ce." "I''m talking nonsense? Other people might not know it, but do you think I don''t know? Why does Mr. Hans arrange the two of you to stay by his side, especially Rose? She doesn''t do anything all day, she is just there to look pretty. She apanies him and sleeps with him. You are with her, and you must have followed what she did..." "Smack..." There was a loud p reverberating in the air. Jennifer''s hands trembled slightly. She gritted her teeth and looked coldly at the man in front of her. "B*stard, Rose is innocent, who are you to insult her like this..." "How dare you hit me?" John covered his face with his hand and looked at Jennifer in disbelief. "I think you want to do this the hard way... You said she''s innocent, does that mean you are the one having an affair with the boss?" Jennifer staggered backwards. "Don''te any closer. There are security guards in thismunity." When John heard this, he paused slightly. But then he remembered that no one came out after they had argued for so long, he sneered. "Is that so? Apart from the designated driver who only wants to make money and your drunk, indecent best friend, is there anyone else here?" There was a burst of pain on her wrist. She screamed as John dragged her. "To be honest, I''m not interested in Rose at all. I just wanted to build some rtionship with you today, but you look down on me. So don''t me me for being rude." The strong smell of alcohol on his body made Jennifer feel suffocated. She stepped back desperately but she tripped on Rose who was not making the situation better at all. She staggered and fell directly into John''s arms. "You throw yourself into my arms... Secretary Jennifer, you are not some innocentdy after all!" "Let go of her..." The cold voice was like a lightning, illuminating the deserted residential building. Jennifer''s whole body stiffened. The man who was dragging her just a moment ago was now so scared that he could not speak coherently. "Mr. Hans, what... what are you doing here?" John only thought that Hans was looking for Rose. His face was pale and he quickly let go of her. "I just saw that Secretary Rose was drunk and I sent her back. I absolutely have no improper thoughts about her." "Then what were you doing just now?" Hans''s face darkened, and his expression looked eerie in the dark night. "I had a dispute with Secretary Jennifer... No... I was just joking..." "Really? Why did I think you weren''t joking? Secretary Jennifer, do you think it was fun?" Hans''s eyes fell on Jennifer. She was stunned and staggered to her feet while holding on to the car. For a moment, she could not think properly. "It was not fun..." Hans walked towards them. "Oh? So Secretary Jennifer didn''t think it was fun but John thinks it was fun. Is that what started the dispute?" Seeing that Hans was making a joke, John felt a little relieved and said boldly, "Mr. Hans, this is my personal matter. You can bring Secretary Rose back. As for the matter between me and Secretary Jennifer, we can settle it ourselves..." A scream broke the silence of the night. Johny on the grass, covered his eye in pain, and looked back in disbelief. The great pain almost swallowed him. He stumbled for a long time but could not say a word. Hans nced at Jennifer and raised his hand. Jennifer understood and quickly took out a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to him as if trained. He slowly wiped his hands and approached the flower bed. John shuddered and instinctively backed away. "Mr. Hans, we can talk this out..." "Hans... let''s forget it..." Jennifer couldn''t help but speak up behind him. Hans fought rough, she had seen him go to the underground boxing club for matches. He wouldn''t stop until he drew the opponent''s blood. Hans frowned slightly, nced at Jennifer, and then looked at John, who was a shivering mess. His gaze was as sharp as des. "If you dare to tell anyone what happened today, I can guarantee that nopany will ever hire you again. Do you understand me?" "Yes... Mr. Hans... yes, I understand you. Please just let me go..." Hans wiped his hands clean and threw the expensive handkerchief onto John''s chest like a rag. He said coldly, "Get lost..." Seeing John practically crawled into his car, Jennifer slowly let out a breath and moved her painful wrist. "You feel very lucky, don''t you?" Hans turned around and said in a cold tone and a cold facial expression. She shuddered and clenched her fists. "How dare you ask a man to send you home at such ate hour, especially with a drunk person with you? Jennifer, do you think your life is too boring? What''s going on in your mind?" He was not as malicious as she had expected. Instead, his chastising made her feel inexplicably warm. It was as if he was that gentle Hans like before. Chapter 63: The Most Disgusting Experience Ever Chapter 63: The Most Disgusting Experience Ever Faced with his angry roar, Jennifer boldly asked, "Ehm, can you help me get Rose home first, and then scold me?" Hans was at a loss for words. He stared at Jennifer and took a deep breath. "Have I been too nice to you recently? Now you have learnt to overstep your bound?" "I... I''ll do it myself then..." Jennifer swallowed hard and shrugged. She epted her fate and reached out to pull Rose, who was lying in the middle of the road. "Are you done?" A cold male voice echoed in the shabbymunity. "Yeah,e on..." Jennifer squatted on the ground. Holding Rose''s cor, Hans threw her on Jennifer''s back in disgust. Although she was mentally prepared, Jennifer still stumbled and Rose almost fell down. Hans grabbed Rose''s cor and steadied her. He said impatiently, "Can you do it?" Jennifer grabbed Rose''s arms with both her hands and felt miserable. "I have to even if I can''t." It was impossible for him to carry Rose, who was all dirty, upstairs since he had an obsession with cleanliness. It was already very kind of him to help Jennifer lift Rose on her back. Fortunately, Rose lived on the third floor. Unfortunately, there was no elevator. Jennifer was struggling to breathe climbing up the stairs. After throwing Rose on the sofa, Jennifer held onto the corner of the table, took an empty cup on the table, poured a ss of water, and drank it in one go. She turned around and saw that Hans was still standing at the door. She was slightly stunned. "Aren''t you going back yet?" Hans frowned. "Why? Aren''t you going back?" "Rose is so dirty, I have to clean her up first. It might take a while. If you are busy, don''t worry about me and go back first. I will squeeze with her tonight." Rose lived in a studio apartment, so it really would be a squeeze. There was only a sofa and a single bed. Since Rose was drunk, she would take the bed, so Jennifer could only sleep on the sofa. Hans frowned and looked around the whole apartment. He pulled out a chair and said, "I''m not in a hurry. You can continue." His answer shocked Jennifer. She was at a loss. "You wanted to wait for me here?" "I don''t think you can rest well in this environment. I don''t want to see a secretary who is sleepy at work tomorrow," he said righteously. "It''ll be a waste ofpany time." Jennifer''s face froze slightly. She didn''t know what to say. "You''re the boss. You''re always right." She thought. However, it was this harsh environment that had be a paradise for her during the half a year of his torture. asionally, Hans allowed her to spend the night with Rose, which was the only relief for her during this painful time. "I''m going to run a bath for her. Please help me take care of Rose... Well... forget it. She probably won''t wake up..." Jennifer stood up and whispered to herself. Even she was shocked by what she said. Hans had only been nice to her for a few days and she dared to say something like that. Maybe Hans was right, she overstepped her bounds. She ran into the bathroom and turned on the tap. The loud water sshing isted the sound from outside. On the sofa, Rose was deep in her sleep. Suddenly, she felt sick in her stomach. She turned over and fell to the floor. Hans jumped up from the chair, frowned, and approached Rose. He stretched out his foot and kicked her ankle lightly. "Hey... Are you okay?" "Tom Cruise..." Rose suddenly sat up and hugged Hans''s leg, refusing to let go. "Tom Cruise, you came to my dream again..." The moment Rose hugged his leg, Hans genuinely felt so disgusted that he wanted to cut his leg off. Rose must be crazy when she was drunk. "Jennifer... Jennifer... Come out..." In the living room, the man''s hoarse voice was apanied by a trembling roar. Jennifer was oblivious to what was happening on the outside. She was thinking about life listening to the sound of running water. At this time, Rose was about to get up with Hans''s leg in her arms. Hans''s eyes showed a rare trace of fear. "Rose, you don''t want your job anymore? Let go of me..." As soon as he finished speaking, he felt his legs be lighter, and Rose copsed on his feet. His beating heart slowly settled down. "Bleargh..." The pungent vomit flooded out and his foot was burning hot. When Jennifer came out of the bathroom, she saw Hans standing in the living room like a pir, looking livid. As for Rose, she somehow climbed down from the sofa andy on Hans''s feet as if she was going to kiss his feet. The whole situation was very strange. Before she could question why Rose was in such a weird position, the smell of vomit attracted her attention to his feet, which were gross. One of his feet was covered by Japanese food and beer, which was emitting a strong stench at the moment. The culprit was lying on his other foot, with disheveled hair. She looked like a ghost from those horror movies. Jennifer covered her mouth and nose, and her face was stiff. "I think Rose... didn''t mean it." Hans looked livid. If looks could kill, Hans would have killed Jennifer many times over. He gritted his teeth and said, "Shouldn''t you deal with this disgusting vomit first?" Jennifer suddenly came back to her senses and raised her hands. "Well... don''t move... don''t move... I''ll think about what I should do." "Take her away first..." Hans looked like he was falling apart. He could confidently say that he had never experienced anything more disgusting than this in his life. Jennifer dragged the unconscious Rose who was lying on the ground to the bathroom hurriedly. She took off all her clothes and put her into the bathtub to soak. Then she took a bucket, filled it with water, took a towel from the bathroom shelf, and rushed to the living room. "Uhmm, maybe you should take off your pants?" She squatted in front of Hans with her hands pinching her nose. Looking at the mess on the floor, she had no idea where to start. "You want me to take off my pants here?" Hans couldn''t believe what he had heard. "There''s no other way. I can''t... I can''t wash your pants while you are standing here, can I?" Jennifer said with a bitter face, "Come on, I''ll find you a towel to wrap you up." Hans raised his hand and rubbed his forehead. At this moment, he regretteding here in the middle Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. of the night. He should have let Jennifer learn her lesson with John and his bad intentions. Ten minutester, Hans was sitting on the sofa with a nket covering his legs, the nket that he was disgusted by just ten minutes ago. Underneath the nket was his underwear. Jennifer squatted in front of the pile of vomit. She turned back and asked Hans, "Are you still going to wear this pair of pants?" "No." "Okay." Jennifer nodded and without asking, she wiped up the vomit with Hans''s expensive pants and threw it into the trash can. Hans''s face stiffened and his voice was full of disbelief. "What am I going to wear then?" Chapter 64: It鈥檚 a Miracle You Are Still Alive Chapter 64: It¡¯s a Miracle You Are Still Alive Jennifer, who was busy cleaning the leftover vomit with a tissue, froze when she heard his words. "Yeah, I threw away his pants into the trash can. What should he wear now?" she thought. "Well... I... I''ll buy you a new one." She didn''t even dare to look back. Behind her, Hans snorted loudly. It seemed that he was very angry. After a while, he sneered and said in a very contemptuous tone, "I don''t wear clothes from some random shops." Hans was deliberately making things difficult for her. He knew that in order to save money, Rose lived far away from the city. Her ce didn''t even have a security guard, let alone arge shopping mall. Even if there was, no shopping mall would be open at this time. He should feel lucky to find any pants at all. Jennifer closed her eyes and made up her mind. She was in big trouble either way, so she might as well deal with Rose first. By the time she dragged Rose out of the bathtub, dried her up, put on her pyjamas, and dragged her to bed, it was already midnight. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and sat down on the chair in the living room. Before she could catch her breath, she looked up and she and Hans were staring at each other. "My pants..." Hans red at her. Jennifer''s face froze, and she said awkwardly, "Look, it''s past 12 o''clock, the malls are closed." Hans''s face darkened. After thinking for a long time as if he had made a big decision, he nced at Jennifer. "Forget it. Just buy whatever. The shops... will do." Jennifer pursed her lips and thought for a few seconds. "The shops... will be closed at this time too." "The shop owners are people too, people need to sleep, mister!" Jennifer thought. "Well, why don''t you wrap yourself in a bath towel? No one can see you at night anyway. I''ll drive you home. That''s good enough..." Hearing Jennifer''s words, Hans''s face grew gloomy as if he could explode at any moment. "Jennifer... Have I been too polite to you recently?" These words were usually very scary to Jennifer, but at this moment, he was wearing a towel, sitting cross-legged on the little pink strawberry sofa Rose bought from the second-hand market. It was inexplicably humorous. "There''s nothing I can do..." She looked glum. "Or I''ll go home and get it for you now." Hans nced at the Rose who was restlessly rolling on the bed. His heart was paralysed with fear of vomit. His face darkened. "No..." He wouldn''t stay in the same room with this crazy woman alone unless he lost his mind. "No... No... What do you want then..." There was some discontent in Jennifer''s tone. It had been a long day at work and at night, she had to help Rose to clean up her mess. She was even almost molested by some pervert. She was very impatient at this point. It was the first time that Hans had heard such an impatient tone from Jennifer. His face suddenly changed, and he looked at Jennifer coldly. The coldness in his eyes was bone-chilling. Jennifer shuddered and came up with an idea in a hurry. She couldn''t help but bounce up from the chair. "I''ll call Nancy and ask her to take a taxi to send it..." Before Hans could say anything, she grabbed her phone, avoided his gaze, and went straight into the bathroom. It waste at night, it was a problem for Nancy to get a taxi, and what time she could get here was another problem. Even though she suggested it, she was not sure when this pair of pants would be delivered. After the phone call, she sat in the bathroom for a while and hesitated whether she should go out or not. After all, the atmosphere outside was very unfriendly, she felt morefortable in the bathroom. "Bang, bang!" A tall figure stood outside the bathroom door. The dissatisfaction in his tone was palpable. "Jennifer, it took you that long to make a call?" She froze for a moment and slowly stood up from the toilet. She opened the bathroom door and casually made an excuse. "Nancy was asleep. It took her a long time to answer.." Hans had a towel wrapped around his waist and it dragged on the floor, like a long evening dress. The Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. only thing was that it was a little puffy and he looked very strange. After the exnation, seeing that he still didn''t leave, Jennifer held back herughter and asked in a muffled voice, "Do you need something else?" "I need to use the bathroom..." Hans nced at her. "Why? Do you want to help?" Jennifer''s face suddenly turned red, and she hurriedly tried to pass by him. "No... no need. You... you go..." Rose''s bathroom was very narrow and Hans stood in front of the door, blocking two-thirds of the way. Jennifer thought she could pass through the gap between Hans and the wall since she was small. Who knew that she stumbled in a panic. She tripped on her left foot, lost her bnce, and fell straight forward. She let out a cry of surprise and started to scratch wildly in the air with her eyes wide open. "Hiss..." Hans gasped audibly into her ear. She did not feel pain as she expected. She was picked up by a steady arm the moment she fell down. Her chest was firmly pressed on a solid arm. One of her hands was on the wall, and the other was grabbing Hans''s cor. They stayed in this position for a few seconds before there was a crisp sound of a button ripping off. The button of his white shirt popped out of his chest and disappeared. At the same time, Jennifer loosened her grip on his cor and pressed down on his bent arm. The squeezing pain in her chest and the sound of the button ripping made here to her senses. She pushed away Hans''s arm in a hurry and stood up firmly. Her face was red and she lowered her head. She looked very flustered. Usually, Hans always considered these coincidences or idents as Jennifer''s attempt to throw herself at him. She had heard too many insults, so naturally, she was mentally prepared for it. Hans withdrew his arm, swung it a couple of times, and said coldly, "You can''t even walk steadily. It''s a miracle that you are still alive." The bathroom door swooshed to a close. She stood at the door with a stunned look on her face. Only the pain in her chest reminded her that it was not a dream. In the bathroom, Hans clenched his fists tightly. After closing the door, he stood in front of the mirror and breathed heavily. Her warmth was still on his arm, which made him a little restless. He frowned slightly, lowered his head, and washed his face with cold water to ease the difort. He looked up at the mirror. There were two scratches on the left side of his neck. He frowned even more deeply when he touched them. Hans stayed in the bathroom for a long time, until Jennifer sat on the sofa and nodded off, holding one of Rose''s plushies. There was a noise when the bathroom door swung open. Jennifer suddenly nodded and almost fell off the sofa. She looked up at Hans who had juste out of the bathroom in shock, and her eyes were blurry. "You... you took a shower?" She looked at Hans with wet fringe in disbelief. Hans frowned and looked at her impatiently. "Can''t I?" "Of course you can..." The corner of Jennifer''s mouth was stiff, and she hid her surprised look. Chapter 65: Sugarcoated Storm Chapter 65: Sugarcoated Storm Hans sat under the air conditioner with his wet hair, as if waiting for it to dry naturally. Jennifer suddenly felt bad for him. "There should be a brand new clean towel here somewhere. I''ll find it for you. You are going to catch a cold like this." N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ording to Hans''s temper, he probably didn''t use Rose''s soap or towel when he showered. Afterbing through the bathroom, she finally found a pink towel with thebel still on and a hairdryer. Holding these two things, Jennifer suddenly felt a little warmth as she walked out of the bathroom. "Uhmm, it''s better for you to blow dry your hair. Come here, the socket is here." She stood next to Rose''s makeup cab, plugged in the hairdryer, tried the temperature on her palm, and shouted for Hans in a low voice. Her expression was a little unnatural. She had never had the chance to be so intimate with Hans and she wasn''t sure if he would agree. For a moment, she felt a little uneasy and expectant. Hans sat in front of the sofa in silence for a few seconds before he finally moved the chair over. His ck hair felt wet on her fingers. From her angle, she could see Hans''s hair whorl, his nose bridge, and his soaked shirt. After a button was ripped off, she could see his tanned chest was stained with fine water droplets, rising and falling with his breath. She blushed and quickly avoided her gaze. When she was doing his left side hair, she suddenly found two scratches on his neck. It looked fresh and there was a trace of blood. She froze and suddenly remembered she scratched on some skin at the bathroom door, as well as his gasp. "Are you going to burn me to death?" Hans suddenly spoke and she was so startled she almost dropped the hairdryer. In the few seconds that she was in a daze, she was blowing on the same spot. His hair felt hot to the touch. "Sorry, sorry..." She apologized in a hurry. "I didn''t do it on purpose..." Hans remained expressionless. He looked indifferent and said coldly, "Are you trying to kill me with a hairdryer on purpose? Surely you are not this dumb." She pursed her lips and was speechless for a moment. She just looked at the scratches on his neck in a daze and felt a little guilty. "Are you done blowing..." He raised his hand and touched his hair. He probably felt that it was dry enough so he stood up and unbuttoned his shirt. Jennifer''s face dropped. She instinctively nced at Rose, who was sleeping soundly on the bed. She looked flustered. "What... what are you doing?" Hans frowned, took off his wet shirt, and put it on the back of the chair. His tone was stiff. "What are you thinking? Dry it." Her face stiffened and she watched him turn around indifferently. He wrapped himself in a nket and returned to the sofa. He closed his eyes to rest, as if he didn''t want to talk to her at all. The sound of the hairdryer filled the entire apartment. Jennifer didn''t know if he had fallen asleep. She secretly looked at him, but she didn''t see him open his eyes. With his eyes closed, a rare sense of tiredness gradually engulfed him as the hairdryer blew in the background. It was the first time since he suffered insomnia. He was struggling to grasp hisst shred of consciousness but it floated away with the howling wind. In the distance, there was an innocent girl in school uniform with fringe and ponytails. Her smile was so bright and lively that he couldn''t forget about it. Suddenly, there was a chill on his neck. He opened his eyes reflexively and grabbed the wrist beside him. He was so forceful that Jennifer screamed in pain, and cold sweat oozed from her forehead. Hearing her voice, Hans suddenly loosened his grip, touched his neck, and questioned her coldly, "What are you doing?" The ointment in Jennifer''s hand fell to the ground, and there was still a trace of it left on her index finger. She took a deep breath to calm herself down and said pitifully, "Your neck... I wanted to clean it up. You were asleep, so I didn''t wake you..." Jennifer was about to cry and she looked very aggrieved. Hans put his hand on his neck and touched the disinfectant. It was sticky and disgusting. He took some tissue paper with disgust, wiped his hands clean, and yelled impatiently. "Can''t you wake me up?" Jennifer''s expression froze. She lowered her head and looked at the ointment on the carpet, breathing heavily. She just saw that he was sleeping soundly and did not have the heart to wake him up. She thought that if she was careful, she would not wake him up. Now not only did she wake him up, but she also hurt her wrist. "I''m sorry..." Her pitiful voice fell on his ears and he suddenly felt a little powerless. He lowered his head and picked up the ointment and handed it to her. "What''s the point of saying this after I''m awake? Just finish what you started." Jennifer was slightly stunned. She hesitated to take the ointment from his hand and found it unbelievable. She did not understand why Hans had such a sudden change. It started since the day she almost drowned. She guessed maybe her ident made him realize how important she was to him. However, he asked her to move back to the family house and he had been blowing hot and cold to her since then. His attitude left her anxious and confused. His sudden appearance tonight surprised her. Maybe no matter what, at least he really cared about her deep down. Only a fool would believe that it was a coincidence that he just happened to be at Rose''s ce. She spread the ointment evenly on his neck with her finger. The coldness provided Hans some relief. Hans was surprised but he did not show it. After a while, all he could feel was the warmth of her finger on his skin. There was a little numbness that gradually spread out. He couldn''t help but turn his head and nced at her cheek from the corner of his eye. She looked so pure and sweet. Her thick eyshes trembled slightly, her lips were tightly pursed, and she seemed a little nervous, even her breathing was very quiet. He turned around more without realizing and his warm breath brushed against her cheeks. She raised her head in shock and her eyes met his. At that moment, she was in a trance, as if she had seen a sky full of stars shining just for her. Her forehead rubbed against the tip of his nose, and the tip of her nose swept across his lips. These slight touches were enough to make her tremble, and her heart was in turmoil. Suddenly, a warmth collided with her lips and she felt like she was caught off guard and fell into a sweetened trap. She panicked and did not know what to do. However, he was at ease and knew her thoroughly. The back of her head was against the sofa, and her chest was close to his, rising and falling violently. His kiss was deep, unbridled, overbearing, and warm, crushing her little by little and putting her back together again, sweeping her in this gentle storm, making her world spin. She couldn''t believe it was real. She thought it was a dream, she even hoped it was a dream. Because even if she had to wake up from a dream, at least she would not feel the pain since it was never real. However, when reality turned into cruelty, there would only be emptiness left in her heart. Chapter 66: Money Can鈥檛 Buy This Good Mood Chapter 66: Money Can¡¯t Buy This Good Mood A pair of hands reached into her skirt, and she couldn''t help moaning. "Ding-dong... ding-dong..." The doorbell rang and it destroyed the romantic mood they had going on in the room. Jennifer clearly felt that the hand between her legs froze, and his body temperature suddenly dropped too. His face instantly returned to its usual cold look. Nancy managed to send the pants here through great difficulties. She stood by the door, sweating profusely even in the cold November wind. It was obvious how serious she took her job. However, Jennifer looked weird when she opened the door, her smile was too forced. "Miss Hunter, am Ite?" Jennifer waved her hand andughed. "No, you... you did a great job." "Thud..." The bathroom door was opened rudely, and a tall figure walked straight to the apartment door. He didn''t even look at them, and he looked extremely cold. Jennifer hurriedly packed up her bag and followed him with Nancy in tow. The moment the door was closed, Rose who was peeking from the bed turned around, let out a deep breath, jumped out of the bed, and darted toward the bathroom. "D*mn it, I almost couldn''t hold it in anymore..." It was already early in the morning when she got home. Jennifer fell headfirst on her bed, and she didn''t even have the energy to take a shower. As soon as shey down, her mind was filled with scenes from what had just happened at Rose''s ce. It was the first time in her life that she had felt such warmth from Hans. It was like a dream, lingering in her mind. She couldn''t fall asleep thinking about this so she epted her fate and went into the bathroom. She ran a bath and soaked herself in it, trying to calm down her beating heart. In the bathroom on the second floor, which was separated only by the ceiling, in the same position, the shower was running. Different from the sultry heat on the first floor, the bathroom on the second floor was cool, and the cold water sshed down his spine. Hans suddenly pulled back his hair, and his fingers ran through his hair. Then, he wiped away the water droplets on his face, took a deep breath, and finally managed to push back his urges. He regretted letting things go too far in the tiny apartment half an hour ago. He frowned and stared into the mirror for a long time. The shy, innocent face was still lingering in his mind. The cold water on his body could not calm down the fire in his heart. Could he really let her go? At least currently, his body was telling him that it was impossible. The next morning, Jennifer got up with a sleepy face. She got ready and put on light makeup. When she came out for breakfast, Hans had just woken up too. She was sleepy at first, but when she saw Hans downstairs, she suddenly shivered and instantly woke up. "Good morning, Mr. Hans. Good morning, Miss Hunter..." Nancy greeted the two of them happily as usual. "It''s such a coincidence today, the two of you woke up at the same time..." It sounded normal but when Jennifer heard it, she inexplicably felt like it had a hidden meaning. Her face turned red. She lowered her head and replied. "Well, I get up at the same time as usual. I always set my rm at this time. I''m usually down for Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. breakfast by now. There is nothing special about it..." Nancy was slightly stunned and looked at Jennifer suspiciously. "Was there a need for such a deliberate exnation on a casual remark?" Nancy thought. "Morning..." Hans covered his greeting with a dry cough and sat at the table with a poker face, drinking coffee. Jennifer was stunned, thinking that she must have heard it wrong. She looked up and met Nancy''s eyes, who was equally stunned. Did they just hear Hans say ''Morning'' to them? Nancy nodded knowingly. After a moment of hesitation, Jennifer finally reacted and answered with a trembling voice, "Morning..." She replied in such a hurry that her voice cracked as if she could not hide her fear. Hans frowned slightly and did not say anything. He returned to his usual self. After breakfast, she got a ride to work in Hans''s car. She could feel her long-lost racing heart slowly awoken inside of her. She chose the music without asking. The gentle and soothing piano sonata made Jennifer feel oddly sweet. If everything could restart this way, it would be a huge turning point in her life. As soon as Rose entered the office, she could clearly feel that Jennifer was in a great mood. Jennifer, who had always been strict and old-fashioned at work, was actually ying music in the secretary''s office. Rose held back her stunned expression, put down her bag, held her coffee cup against the desk, and asked Jennifer who was humming a love song, "Did you find money on the ground today?" Jennifer blinked. "It''s happier than finding money. I''m so happy I think I could just fly." Thinking of what happened on her sofast night, Rose''s heart twitched violently. "Yeah, the two of you almost did it on my sofast night..." Rose thought. She rolled her eyes and pretended to be indifferent. "I''m going to make coffee. Before Ie back, you''d better turn off the music, or I''llin about you disturbing single people from working." Jennifer giggled. "I''ll turn it off after this song. You can take your time making the coffee, this song is quite long." Rose widened her eyes and looked at Jennifer, who let her imagination run wild after a little kindness from Hans, in disbelief. "Does she really only remember the good things and not the bad things?" Rose thought. Rose rarely saw her so happy so she couldn''t bear to crush her dream. She silently picked up the cup and went to the pantry. On the way, she slowly recalled what had happened the night before. It was thetter half of the night when she had sobered up. She felt much better after vomiting. When Jennifer gave her a bath and put her in bed, she had mostly sobered up already. But before she threw up, she only had pieces of memories. As she was making coffee, she nced at the pantry door and suddenly saw a familiar figure. "Hey, John..." Her eyes lit up. Afterst night''s incident, John couldn''t wait to run away just at the mention of Jennifer and Rose. Rose calling for him was like a death threat that scared him out of his wits and made his legs tremble. "Uhm, Secretary Rose, do you need me? I''m rushing to send something to Mr. Hans..." "Hey, stop. If you want to send something to Mr. Hans, it would have to go through the secretary''s office first, right? Secretary Jennifer is very busy. Leave it here. I''ll bring it back after I make coffee." Rose frowned and ran to the pantry to stop him and patted his shoulder. Suddenly, John''s felt weak and he fell to the ground. "John..." Rose hurriedly reached out to help him up, her face full of disbelief. She didn''t put much force into that pat. "What? .. John... Are you okay?" Seeing that she was going to help him up, John was so panicked that he hurriedly ran away before he could even stand up straight. "I suddenly remembered that I need to make some changes to the proposal..." Chapter 67: A Secretary鈥檚 Job Chapter 67: A Secretary¡¯s Job John''s flustered look puzzled Rose. She stood at the door of the pantry in surprise for a few seconds without saying a word. When Rose returned to the secretary''s office with coffee in her hand, Jennifer had already turned off the music and began to work. Seeing that Rose was in a daze, she couldn''t help asking, "Did you run into a ghost in the pantry? You look so out of it..." Hearing this, Rose came to her senses and said with a frown, "I just met John. He looked at me like I''m a ghost. Do I look that scary? Help me have a look." Her words made Jennifer feel a chill. Jennifer rolled her eyes at her grumpily. "What nonsense are you talking about? After what happenedst night, of course, a scumbag like John will run away when he sees you. Do you think he can take a lot of psychological tolls? I bet he won''t "Huh?" Seeing that she was at a loss, Jennifer had to tell her everything that had happened at the gate of her with him anymore, or you won''t even know when you have been taken advantage of." Hearing Jennifer''s words, Rose''s scattered memories gradually pieced together. She had a lightbulb moment and suddenly remembered everything fromst night. "D*mn it... he''s an a*shole!" She mmed the coffee cup hard on the table, and the coffee spilled on the table. Rose clenched her fists angrily. "No wonder he ran away when he saw me. Lucky for him I didn''t remember any of it just now. If I had, I would have torn him a new one." "Calm down. Fortunately, nothing serious happenedst night." Hearing this, the anger in Rose''s eyes eased a little. Sost night, it was Hans who saved them. Suddenly, Rose had a better opinion of him. The whole morning, Rose was swearing up and down at John while she was looking through documents. When it was almost lunch break, Jennifer finally couldn''t stand it anymore. She slowly let out a breath and said, "Rose, you should think about something good for a change. If you continue to swear, we won''t be able to have a good lunch today." Rose blinked angrily and thought out loud. "That''s true. We can''t ruin our mood for lunch. But John, this son of a b*tch, I will spit on his face every time I see him." Jennifer sighed helplessly and got up to leave the desk. "Take your time. I''ll send the documents first." "Wait a minute. I still have three more here. Please help me send them to Mr. Hans." Looking at Jennifer''s graceful figure entering the president''s office, the gloomy look on Rose''s face inexplicably turned brighter. During this period of time, she had noticed the change in Hans''s attitude toward Jennifer. "Did something happen that suddenly made him realize that he wanted to make up to Jennifer, or was he possessed?" In short, this was a good sign for Jennifer, and maybe it was also a good sign for her. After all, she only got her current high sry and low effort job because of Jennifer. She couldn''t just watch her best friend suffer while she enjoy her life. In the president''s office, Jennifer masterfully ced a stack of thick files on Hans''s table. "This is the proposals sent by the nning Department, including the final changes and modification of the end of the yearpany management n, as well as the modification of the artists'' management n andpany''sws and regtions document..." "Okay." Hans nodded and picked up the first file on the top to read. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Jennifer stood there for a while, feeling a little uneasy. "Mr. Hans, if there is nothing else, I will go out first..." "Are you busy?" Hans raised his head and looked at her expressionlessly. "Ehm... not for the moment." Hans lowered his head again, marking on the document, and ordered without looking up. "Make a cup of coffee and sit there for a while. I''ll be done soon." Jennifer thought for a few seconds, then quietly went to Hans''s personal pantry to make coffee. The aroma of coffee gradually permeated the whole office. Hans had always been very particr about these things. There were specific requirements for the coffee beans, and the coffee machine was also a high-end custom-made one. The fresh coffee beans were grounded into powder in the machine, and then mixed with hot water, boiled and filtered slowly, and finally dripped into the coffee cup. "Mr.Hans, your coffee." "Mhmm." Hans casually picked up the coffee that Jennifer had ced beside him and took a sip. His facial expression changed, he frowned and looked at Jennifer. "Lukewarm coffee?" Jennifer froze for a few seconds. "Last time, you said... the taste of the cold coffee is better... So I put some ice cubes. Is it not cold enough?" Hans was at a loss for words. He looked at the cold coffee in his hand and he had very strong mixed feelings. He coughed dryly, put the coffee aside, and asked casually, "Has thepany started preparing for the artists and staff year-end trip?" Jennifer was just sitting down on the sofa when she heard his words and jumped up from the sofa. Hans frowned and nced at her with displeasure. "Why are you so startled? Sit down." Jennifer sat down silently, sorted out what she was going to say, and replied seriously. "The nning Department hasn''t informed us yet. Thepany has a lot of activities this year, and the artists are also busy. More than 10 percent of the artists have been fully booked until the end of the next year. I''m afraid it will be difficult for them to have a holiday like before. After all, some of the contracts have been finalized. It''s not good to make any changesst minute." When Joy Group first started, there was apany benefit of bringing all the employees for a vacation before December. However, as thepany grew ever since Hans took over it, the poprity of the artists skyrocketed. Most A-list artists did not have time to participate in such activities. The most obvious one was the end of the year trip to Tahitist December. Except for a few A-list artists who just happened to have free time, the rest were just neers and B-list artists. Hans frowned. Thinking of the tripst year, he was displeased. This was a tradition for Joy Group. They started this practice to promote understanding between the artists and the staff. This way, they could cooperate and work together in front and behind the scenes. Although it had developed into a vanity project now, it was still theirpany culture and a good opportunity to attract the attention of the public. "This year, we will do it as usual. Check the schedule today, only the artists who are fully booked in December can be excused, I don''t want anyone else missing this trip. I will leave it to you." "Me?" Jennifer pointed at herself in disbelief. "I... I''m not suitable for this job, am I?" She was the secretary, and her main task was to help lighten Hans''s workload and help him improve his efficiency. However, it was unheard of for her to be in charge of an event. Hans nced at her. "You heard me right, I will leave it to you." Chapter 68: Mission Accomplished Chapter 68: Mission Aplished Aftering out of the president''s office, Jennifer was in a daze. She sat on her chair with a stack of documents in her arms and sighed. Rose was going crazy because of a few datasheets. When she saw Jennifering back, she quickly waved her over. "Come and tell me how to change the data here. I''m going crazy." Jennifer didn''t move at all. "I''m worried about something... You can Google it on your own..." Hearing this, Rose was stunned for a moment and turned her head looking puzzled. "You are worried? You are so easy-going that you can tolerate Hans that maniac. What can you be worried about?" Only Rose could joke in a situation like this. Jennifer looked up and nced at her. "Mr. Hans asked me to n the Decemberpany vacation this year." "He asked you?" Rose eximed and raised her voice. "Isn''t this under nning Department?" "Yeah, and he asked me to do it. He probably wasn''t satisfied with what the nning Department did not very involved. Only thepany staff had a good time." Jennifer sighed helplessly. "But if the nning Department can''t do it, what can I do? I''m just a secretary." "That might not be true." Rose rolled her eyes. "Do you know? Every year, the nning Department will try to benefit themselves when they nned for the trip. The ces we go and the activities we do are actually chosen by them internally since they can bring their families. The wives of the directors and managers made most of the decisions. Only the employees who have never travelled much had fun. The artists felt bored. Instead of humouring us, they could have been working and earning money." Jennifer was slightly stunned. "Is that true?" "My God, I thought you knew." Rose frowned and seemed to think of something. She pped her thigh. "But of course, you have never joined the trip, so you didn''t know." Every year, thepany''s trip was set in December. Jennifer had been in thepany for four years since she graduated. The first two years, Thomas and Stephanie were still alive. People in the showed up together at the same time. So she didn''t go on thepany trip that two years and went backpacking with some of her friends instead. Two years ago, Thomas and Stephanie passed away in an ident and thepany trip was canceled. There was a huge shift in thepany personnel. After that, she stayed at home for more than half a year and only came back to work earlier this year. Jennifer looked helpless. "I think it would be very hard for me to n this. I really don''t know what he is thinking. What if I screwed it up?" Seeing that she was in a dilemma, Rose didn''t share her worries. Instead, she patted Jennifer on the shoulder encouragingly. "I think that Mr. Hans is giving you a good chance to contribute. This will help you build a good image in thepany. A perfect secretary should be flexible, an all-round yer, and be able to work in any department if necessary. I believe you can do it." Rose was making a lot of sense. Ever since Jennifer graduated and joined Joy Group, she had been working on various documents from all different departments in thepany. From Human Resources, nning, Finance to even Advertising Department, she was involved in all of them. Sometimes, she could point out the problems in their documents more professionally than those in the department. She was never spoiled by her parents, and Stephanie had never intended for her to live an easy life. That was how she managed to survive such a demanding job, by learning on the job. Rose''s encouragement gave her hope. She suddenly felt that maybe what she said was true. Hans was giving her a chance to shine. At lunch break. "It''s almost time. Let''s go have lunch." Jennifer closed herptop, took the canteen meal pass, packed her things, and was ready to leave. The phone on the table suddenly rang and it was an internal call. Rose put on a sad face, unwilling to answer the phone. "Looking for me?" "..." "Alright, I''ming..." Hanging up the phone, Rose stuffed her meal pass into Jennifer''s hand. "Help me get some fried chicken. Someone is looking for me downstairs. I''ll go and have a look. I''ll meet you in the canteen in ten minutes." "Hey, maybe I shouldn''t buy for you first? What if you don''te back?" Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. "No, if I get stuck there for a while, the fried chicken will sell out." Rose also hung her bag around Jennifer''s neck. "Wait for me. Ten minutes." After saying that, she sprinted towards the elevator. Jennifer smiled resignedly and walked to the canteen. As soon as she walked into the canteen, her phone in her pocket rang. Rose was incoherent on the other end of the phone. "You... you... don''t go to the canteen. Come to the front door and send me my bag..." Jennifer looked at the food in the canteen that was so close to her, touched her hungry belly helplessly, and couldn''t helpining, "I told you to take your bag with you. I''m ming you if the fried chicken is gone..." As if she had heard a joke, Rose cackled on the other end of the phone. "Juste here, hahaha, forget about the fried chicken... Don''t hang up the phone. I''m afraid you can''t find me." At the entrance of the Joy Group. Jennifer was holding two bags in her hands. She looked for Rose for a long time at the entrance but she didn''t see anyone. Suddenly, Rose''s voice came from her earphones. "Go straight to the side of the road from where you are, turn right and then go straight." "What are you doing?" Jennifer was at a loss, but she had to follow her orders. She could hear Rose''s overly excited voice from her earphones and she couldn''t stand it. She walked into a remote path after making a big detour around the whole Joy Group. "You''ll be there after you go through the alley." When she got out of the alley, there were very few people on the road. This was the back door of the Joy Group. It was a blind spot in the business district. People who lived there were mostly old people who had been there since before it became the business district. The only thing that looked out of the ordinary on the street was the royal blue sports car parked by the roadside. It looked very familiar to Jennifer. "Did you see a sports car on the roadside when youe out of the alley? Come straight over and get in the car." Jennifer walked along the road towards the car dubiously. "I saw you!" Rose shouted in the earphone. Jennifer trembled and almost dropped her phone. The back door of the sports car suddenly opened, and Rose pulled her in without giving her any time to react. "What are you doing? You''re so mysterious..." Jenniferined. Before she could finish her sentence, she nced at the man sitting in the driver''s seat at the front. From the rearview mirror, she could only see that he was wearing sunsses and a mask, covering himself up very tightly. Chapter 69: Old Stories, Old Acquaintances Chapter 69: Old Stories, Old Acquaintances Jackson took off his sunsses and mask and nodded at Jennifer to greet her. Before he could speak, Jennifer''s face had begun to sour. Did Jackson be more crafty in the past ten years? It was as if a switch had been turned off in her mind. All of a sudden, she swallowed all herints. Jennifer looked at his face and felt as if she had been fooled. "Jennifer, are you surprised? Are you shocked? Jackson came to bring me out for lunch today. I said that I had a date with you in the canteen, so I can''t leave you alone. Jackson agreed right away. I''m a great friend right? I waited for you!" Rose''s voice exploded in her ears, and she didn''t notice anything unusual about Jennifer in her tion. Jennifer put down her bag, and her tone was a little stiff. "I have delivered your bag. We only have a one-hour lunch break, Rose, don''t forget the time." "Hey, Jennifer..." Rose quickly grabbed her arm. "Jennifer, what are you doing? Jackson... Jackson invited us to lunch. I just called HR to ask for two hours leave, you..." "Leave?" Jennifer''s face gloomed. She shook off Rose''s arm and raised her voice. "What leave? Who asked you to apply for leave for me?" Rose froze, she only just realized that Jennifer was not happy. "Jennifer, what''s the matter with you..." Jennifer took a deep breath, but when she saw Rose''s nk and innocent face, she couldn''t vent her anger and had to suppress it. "It''s nothing. It''s just that some people have bad intentions. Rose, you are too naive, you will get cheated easily. "Being cheated about what?" Rose''s face was full of confusion. In the driver''s seat, Jackson''s face froze, and a trace of pain shed across his eyes. "I have something to do, so I''m leaving now." After saying that, Jennifer opened the door and went back without looking back. The car door opened behind her. "Last time, my fans misunderstood us and attacked you. I haven''t apologized to you yet. Let me buy you lunch as my apology. I hope you don''t get any wrong idea..." Jackson ignored the risk of being recognized and got out of the car. He held the car door with a guilty face. Jennifer didn''t look back. Her voice was cold and calm. "Apologize? You''ve been using my best friend for so long. We both know why you are inviting me to lunch. I am also in the entertainment industry. If you want publicity and exposure, I''m sorry but I can''t help you. Please send my friend back safely after lunch. Thank you." N?velDrama.Org holds this content. She stepped on her 10-centimetre high heels, dressed in a decent and elegant dress, and disappeared into the narrow alley. When Jennifer got out of the car, Rose had already opened the car door and was ready to run after her, but she was not as fast as Jackson. With the car between them, Rose listened to their conversation and she was confused. She held the car door and looked at the loneliness on Jackson''s face, and she suddenly understood something. "Jackson and Jennifer have known each other before this?" Rose thought. Jennifer walked in the alley with a calm face, she could hear hurried footsteps approaching her. "Jennifer... Jennifer..." "I said I''m not going..." Jennifer turned her head impatiently, only to see Rose running with sweat and guilt on her face. "I''m not here to persuade you. Jack... Jackson has left. It''s my fault. Are you... are you still angry?" Rose lowered her head like a school kid who did something wrong. Jennifer frowned. Looking at Rose in this state, she could not be mad at her no matter how angry she was. "Forget it, just never do it again." As soon as she finished her words, Rose wrapped her arm around hers. The speed at which Rose change her expression made her speechless. "Then can you tell me when did you and Jackson meet?" Jennifer''s face darkened and she pushed her hands away in disgust. "No." "Hey, tell me please, just tell me! Look, I''ve given up the good opportunity to have lunch with my idol for you. Consider this my sacrifice to you..." "What kind of sacrifice is this? You made me walk all this way for nothing, I haven''t eaten anything yet." "How about if I buy you lunch?" "Nevermind, I''m not in the mood now." "Because of Jackson?" "You are too stupid, you can be easily fooled..." "It''s not a bad thing to be deceived by a handsome guy. Besides, I don''t have anything. What can Jackson get from me?" They were at the entrance of thepany building, Jennifer stopped and rolled her eyes. "Rose..." Seeing her angry look, Rose hurriedly raised her hands as if she was surrendering. "Okay, okay, I got it. I got it. He might have deceived me but you didn''t lose anything right?" Seeing Rose apologised but have no remorse, Jennifer had no choice but to raise her hand and point her index finger at Rose. Her tone was very serious. "Let me tell you again you seriously. Once you enter this door, don''t mention anything about Jackson in front of me, and don''t tell anyone about me and Jackson. I will thank you in advance." Rose was slightly stunned. After a long while, she nodded and said, "Oh." Jennifer turned around on her high heels and walked toward thepany. Behind her, Rose shouted in sudden realization. "Hey, tell me what happened between the two of you before you go in!" Joy Group''s signature logo covered more than half of thepany building. It was glistening under the winter sun at noon. On the quiet road at the back of thepany, the royal blue sports car was very conspicuous. Jackson held the car door and nced around coldly. Then he took a deep breath, walked quickly to a corner of the alley, and rudely pulled out a man squatting inside. "Give me the camera..." The man was in his early twenties. After being discovered by Jackson, he didn''t look nervous. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Jackson, I didn''t take any pictures, there''s nothing to see. I won''t post it online." His assured tone made Jackson frown and he asked warily, "Who sent you here?" "Bastain, didn''t you agree on it? Last time, when your fan was being attacked, we settled it too hastily. Bastain asked me to take some more photos so you can get even more exposure." "Give me the camera." "Ayy, no..." "Give it to me..." In the hotel. As soon as Jackson came back, he kicked out all the assistants in the room, leaving only his agent. "You are back early. Are you satisfied with the restaurant?" Bastain spent a lot of effort picking out a restaurant for Jackson personally so that he could invite his fans. "Bastain, you''d better exin what is this." Jackson unceremoniously threw the ck camera on the table, making a loud thud. "Hey, be gentle... This... this is very expensive." "I asked you to exin yourself. What is this?" Jackson''s face was so gloomy that it looked like it was about to rain. "It''s just... a camera." Bastain didn''t feel guilty at all, he looked calm. "Who asked you to send someone to follow me and take photos? Do you think we are not in enough trouble?" Chapter 70: The Perk of Afternoon Tea Chapter 70: The Perk of Afternoon Tea The hotel room was really soundproof so the yelling in the room did not affect the lively conversations between the assistants outside. Jackson kicked the wooden table in the room. The camera wobbled a few times on the corner of the table and finally fell to the ground with a loud thud. The camera which was worth hundreds of thousands of dors instantly broke into pieces. Bastain stiffened and his facial expression changed. Only then did he realize the seriousness of the matter. "It''s just a few photos. It won''t cause any problems for her this time. Look, after you released your statementst time, I heard that the fans sent her gifts. It''s very nice..." Seeing Bastain''s attitude, Jackson''s face grew darker. He wandered around the room, kicked the camera, and it crashed into the wall. "How many times have I told you not to drag her in the limelight? Don''t you know how much trouble this would cause? Do you want to lose your job?" Jennifer''s attitude was unusually cold today. It was not only because he used Rose to invite her to lunch. She was very perceptive, she must have seen the reporter. That was why she said those words. Bastain panicked and said in a hurry, "I''m doing this for your own good. I made a reservation in the restaurant for you. If they see you having a meal with your fans, it would solidify your fan base and increase your exposure. Isn''t this good? This is a win-win situation. Remember, even though you made the statementst time and apologised, but we didn''t take any action to show the fans we are sorry. There are already haters on the Inte who are kicking up a fuss over this!" Jackson''s eyes were bloodshot. Thinking about his already distant rtionship with Jennifer worsening because of this incident, he was so angry that he wanted to smash something. His tone was cold. "That''s why you were so enthusiastic to arrange a restaurant and help me get rid of the paparazzi... ... to hide it from me. How smart you are!" "Jackson, listen to me..." "Get out..." "I..." "I said, get out..." Bastain frowned, but he didn''t dare to disobey him. He sighed, picked up his bag on the sofa, and walked out of his room. Therge room was filled with all kinds of gifts, like cards, flowers, chocte, expensive musical instruments, exquisite cakes, and endless fan letters. He took a bottle of red wine from the wine rack and sat on the carpet, feeling a little absent-minded. In the secretary''s office of the Joy Group. Rosey on the table with a sad face. "I''m so hungry..." Jennifer tidied her hair. "Do you think I''m not hungry? I only ate one piece of biscuits and gave you the rest. You are the reason why we are in this state." When they returned to the canteen, not only the fried chicken was gone, but even the most boring sd was sold out too. Aunt Lucy in the canteen had a very bad attitude. "There''s only some pasta left, no sauce. Do you want it?" Previously, Rose onceined in front of the lunchdies that the food that day was the most terrible meal in the world. Unfortunately, Aunt Lucy was the one who made the meal, and the animosity between them had appeared since then. Today, they were unlucky and it was Aunt Lucy who was on duty. Seeing that Rose was about to start a war with Aunt Lucy, Jennifer hurriedly dragged her out of the canteen and gave her thest bag of biscuits left in her drawer. Only then did she calm down Rose''s anger. When Hans passed by the secretary''s office, he looked at them and found that they were very lifeless today. He didn''t hear Rose''s chattering. One of them was lying on the table and sighing, and the other was sleeping in front of herptop. James was about to speak, Hans raised his hand to stop him and they went straight into the president''s office. "What''s wrong with the two of them? They are not doing well?" Hans unbuttoned his suit and sat down. News spread around thepany fast and James had always paid attention to it. He smiled lightly. "I heard that Secretary Rose and Secretary Jennifer went to the canteente today, and it was Aunt Lucy on duty. She had a quarrel with Secretary Rose before. So they didn''t have any lunch." Hans''s face darkened. "Who is this Aunt Lucy? Who gave her the right not to provide the employees with a meal? Who recruited such a person?" James quickly exined, "Here''s the thing. In order to promote the image of thepany, we participated in an environmental event, part of which was the ''Operation Empty te''. Therefore, the amount of food in the canteen is fixed every day and it is only served until half-past eleven. This is the rule from the logistics department." So basically, anyone who hadn''t gone to lunch at half past eleven was assumed that they were not having lunch at the canteen that day. The secretary department was different from other departments too. They only had an hour lunch break. Even if they wanted to go out to have lunch, they would have to rush in the busy business district and wait in long lines. While Rose was starving in the office, Jack, who came to deliver some documents, eximed in surprise, "Secretary Jennifer, why didn''t you two go to get the snacks for afternoon tea today?" "Afternoon tea?" Rose reflexively jumped up from the chair. "What snacks?" Jack was puzzled. "Didn''t you read thepany announcement? The new adjustment inpany welfare. In the future, there will be afternoon tea and snacks every afternoon. Everyone just has to line up to get one." Seeing that both of them were at a loss, Jack said resignedly, "No wonder the two of you were staring at me when I came out of the elevator. You must have thought that I was here to deliver the snacks, but you guys have to send a representative to get the snacks for the secretary''s office." Jennifer paused as she flipped through the documents and asked in confusion, "Who made the announcement? Why is it so sudden? I didn''t see thepany''s logistic department propose this before." "James sent it. You''ll see it when you open the front page of thepany website. You''re probably too busy to notice it." Rose had already finished browsing the notice and sprinted toward the elevator. It was like she found an oasis in the desert. James sat in front of his desk and browsed through the replies to the announcement he had just made. Most of it was just ttery to their boss, he smiled lightly. Hans had never been an advocate for afortable working environment. He felt that harsh N?velDrama.Org holds this content. environment built characters. Any enjoyment during the working hour was a waste of time and money. When Thomas was still around, they used to have snacks for afternoon tea too. But when Hans took over thepany, he cancelled it. He was a rational businessman. He paid his employees'' sries, so their working hours belonged to thepany. They should not think about enjoying themselves. But when he suddenly proposed to restore the perk of afternoon tea today, James suddenly felt that even though no one could find any trace of emotion in him, maybe he had just used it all on Jennifer. Chapter 71: Ten Years Is Enough to Change the World Chapter 71: Ten Years Is Enough to Change the World At Joy Group. Before getting off work in the afternoon, one of the artists on the live broadcast tform of thework was involved in a scandal and had been arrested. The inte celebrity management team, the publicity department and the public rtions department had to work overtime. Taking the lead, Hans held a three-hour meeting in the conference room to discuss countermeasures. Jennifer sent in refreshments several times and on herst trip out, she was yawning uncontrobly. Rose came back after having supper, looking very energetic. "All right, you just recovered recently. I''ll work tonight. You go back first." Jennifer didn''t refuse. She put down the teapot and yawned. "Then I''ll go first. Half an hourter, if the meeting hasn''t finished, you can send in some refreshments again. There are some other things too, just follow James''s order." "Today is not my first day as a secretary, I know what to do. Just leave, you don''t get paid for overtime anyway." Under Rose''s urging, Jennifer packed up her things and walked out worriedly. It was alreadyte at night, but the business district was still brightly lit. Many buildings were filled with people who were workingte like Joy Group. Some would even stay up all night. This was the She was wearing a ck skirt and a grey thin coat, walking toward the station for the night bus. They had just entered winter in early November and the weather had cooled down. Before she even reached the bus station, she had already sneezed several times. "Achoo..." On her sixth sneeze, an inconspicuous white SUV slowly pulled up next to her. Jennifer was slightly stunned and instinctively gave way to the car. A man in a blue casual suit walked out of the car. He had an earring on his right ear, which made him look a little feminine. He walked straight towards Jennifer. "Miss Hunter, right? Do you have time now? I need to talk to you." Jennifer froze for a moment. Looking at the familiar face, she asked in confusion, "Do I know you?" The man stood straight and smiled politely. "I''m... Jackson''s agent. You can call me Bastain." Hearing Jackson''s name, Jennifer frowned and said in an unfriendly tone, "What do you want?" "Don''t get me wrong. I just want to exin to you what happened in the afternoon. It won''t take too much time. Just ten minutes..." Seeing Jennifer''s cold expression, Bastain pursed his lips and stretched out his hand. "Just five minutes? We can talk in the car and we will send you back..." Jennifer nced at the SUV and there was an impatient look on her face. "Is he also in the car?" Bastain had strange look on his face. "Yes... Jackson..." After getting in the car, Jennifer finally knew why Bastain had such a strange expression. The spacious SUV was filled with the strong smell of alcohol. Jackson was lying on the back seat, looking unconscious. There was an IV bottle hanging beside him on the hanger. "What happened to him?" Jennifer''s face tightened. Bastain closed the door and said helplessly, "He... was in a bad mood when he came back in the afternoon. When I went into his room in the evening, I saw that he was unconscious. I didn''t send him to the hospital because I was afraid of alerting the reporters, so I asked a doctor I knew to give him an IV in the car." Jennifer frowned and looked at the man lying in the back seat. His appearance was delicate and pretty, and she could vaguely see traces of his innocence between his eyes. The edges of his face covered up his youthful tenderness and he looked hardened. At this moment, this world-famous superstar was drunk and unconscious in this narrow space. "You''re looking for me because of this?" "He drank too much and kept calling your name. I have no choice. I also want to exin to you about what happened in the afternoon. Jackson didn''t know about the reporters. I did it. I didn''t think this through. He really just wanted to buy you lunch. He was afraid that you wouldn''te and suspect that he had ulterior motives, so he contacted your colleague first." Bastain''s words were like a needle pricking Jennifer''s heart. She felt the pain, but it was bearable. There were two voices in her head. One was telling her to leave heartlessly. She had nothing to do with either Jackson or Desmond anymore, she should stay out of trouble. But the other voice was telling her that it was her responsibility to guide him to let go of his guilt. On the surface, it seemed that she was hurt the most, but it was Jackson who bore most of the psychological pressure. He had broken off ties with the Whitney Family and changed his name. Over the years, he had been working alone abroad to reach his current status. He went from a pampered young master to a singer who would sing at bars for several hundred dors. If it weren''t for her, his life would have been smooth sailing. "Miss Hunter, look, I''ve exined everything. If you still don''t believe me, I can call the reporters who took photos this afternoon and confront him..." "There''s no need." Jennifer''s gaze fell on Jackson''s face. "When he wakes up, if he has time, you can tell him to call me. I''ll find time to talk to him about whatever he wants." Bastain looked happy. "Great! I''ll send you back now." N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Jennifer was about to refuse when she suddenly remembered it waste at night and she would have to wait for a long time for the bus. So she didn''t refuse anymore. It was not a long journey. Jennifer sat beside Jackson and heard him muttering something. She vaguely heard the words "Jennifer" and some mumbles like "theatre". "Jennifer, wait for me..." He tossed and turned, suddenly holding her hand. Jennifer was so shocked that she hurriedly held his wrist, fearing that the needle would prate through his blood vessels. Bastain knowingly turned away his head to not look at them. There was tension in the car. Jennifer''s brows were tightly knitted. In the end, she didn''t pull out her hand. She held his wrist and brushed his messy fringe away. His hair was blue, probably for the dramatic effect on stage. It felt unreal when she touched it. Just like him, she felt unreal when he suddenly returned as Jackson, the superstar. "Jackson, do you know that there is no one in the world who should wait for someone without moving forward, let alone for ten years. Ten years is enough to change the world." Jennifer thought. Ten years ago, there was a fad of studying abroad. Jackson''s mother''s words were still vivid in her mind. "Jackson is destined to go abroad to study. Whether it''s now or in the future, you are just a burden for him. Can you afford to go abroad? You can''t." Yes, she couldn''t. Ten years ago, her father had just passed away. She and Stephanie depended on each other for survival. Although they weren''t destitute, all the money they had was invested in Stephanie''s precarious business at that time. She couldn''t leave the family''s mess behind and not do anything. Although she couldn''t help, at least she could keep her motherpany. After she learnt that Jackson was going abroad, she skipped ss the night before he left. Chapter 72: A Last-Minute Business Trip Chapter 72: A Last-Minute Business Trip She did not do anything the whole day when she skipped ss. She just took out all the pocket money she had saved, held it in her arms in a daze, and slept the whole day. Later when Stephanie came home and held her in her arms. She felt very sorry for her. "Jennifer, don''t cry. I''ve thought about sending you abroad. I still have some savings and I know a guy who is very nice to me. I''ll ask him for help." Everyone in the school knew about her and Jackson''s young love. When the Whitney Family heard about it, Jackson''s mother even purposely made an appointment with Stephanie. Stephanie could tell at a nce what kind of obstacles there were between the two children. Jennifer raised her head from Stephanie''s arms and looked at her mother with her teary eyes. Her mother was noticeably much haggard after working hard the past several days. She dried her tears and whimpered. "Mom, I don''t want to go abroad. I just... I promised Jackson to buy him a birthday present. I''m 10 dors short. Can you give me next month''s pocket money in advance?" ... Later, she would asionally wonder if her father hadn''t passed away, and if her family had been doing well financially, then maybe she would have gone abroad with Jackson back then. But as she grew older, she thought about it less and less. When she looked back at the rtionship now with her current age and experience, she somehow agreed with Jackson''s mother''s opinion. At least back then, she and Jackson were not suitable for each other. When she got out of the car, Jennifer pulled out her hand from Jackson''s hand little by little and turned back to remind Bastain. "After he wakes up, tell him that he has to move on at some point. Actually, I didn''t suffer as much as he thought I did, so he doesn''t have to feel so guilty." At the Miller''s family''s vi. Jennifer took off her coat and hung it on the hanger. She changed into her slippers and went straight into the house, which alerted Nancy. She opened the door and came out of her room. She was going to cook supper for her. "You don''t have to, I ate at thepany. You should go to bed early." "It is fine. Mr. Hans also needs to eat when hees back. How about this, Miss Hunter, you take a shower first and I''ll cook. I''ll call you when I''m done." Currently, Nancy was the only servant left in the house, and it seemed that Hans didn''t want to hire any more servants. This made her feel a lot more rxed. There were fewer people in this big house who had their own ulterior motives. It made the house cosier. An hourter, when Hans got home, he smelled a faint smell of alcohol as soon as he entered the door. He frowned. "What''s that smell?" His cold voice reverberated in the living room. When Nancy heard his voice, she had juste out of the kitchen while wiping her hands on the apron. Hearing this, she sniffed and was slightly stunned. "Is it rum? I made tiramisu for supper. Mr. Hans, do you want some?" Hans nodded. His gaze fell on the grey coat on the hanger in the entryway, and he frowned slightly. Jennifer had just taken a shower and opened the bathroom door. Her wet hair was dripping down on the towel on her shoulder. When she saw Hans, she paused. "You''re back?" Hans''s gaze was withdrawn from the coat and he nced at her. He frowned. "You should stand there for a little longer. The floor is not wet enough." "Who taught her to just walk out after taking a shower without drying her hair first? No wonder she''s always catching a cold." Hans thought. Jennifer froze for a moment. She quickly pulled down the towel around her neck and returned to her room while drying her hair. "I''m going to dry it..." Ten minutester, Jennifer returned to the dining table with her soft hair. Her hair was much smoother after she dried it. She also looked younger than usual without her makeup, and her eyes made her look exceptionally pure. Hans lowered his head and ate supper. He looked up at her and saw that she was eating fast, her te of tiramisu was almost gone. "No one is going to take your food away, why are you eating so fast? Do you have anything else to do tonight?" "Ahem..." Hearing his words, Jennifer hurriedly swallowed the food in her mouth. She choked and coughed non-stop. Hans sneered. As if he had expected this, he picked up a cup of water and handed it to her. "You eat so fast, no wonder you always choke." Jennifer was drinking water and her heart was in turmoil. "I wouldn''t have choked if you hadn''t scared me." She thought. Jennifer was still coughing while drinking water. Hans couldn''t stand it anymore and patted her back. His gentle action made Jennifer feel scared and ttered. With a stiff face, she put down the cup and kept silent for a long time. Then she couldn''t help but let out a burp... "Burp..." A strange look shed past Hans''s face. He withdrew his hand and looked at her without saying a word. Feeling a little guilty, she lowered her head and said, "It''s normal to burp, right? It''s just like breathing. You have to breathe when you''re alive, and you will burp when you are full..." "Nonsense." Hans thought. There was a hint of contempt on Hans''s face as if he was toozy to talk to her. "Have the issue with the artist been dealt with?" In order to break the embarrassment, Jennifer tried to find a topic. Hans nodded slightly. "Yes, it''s done." "How?" "Thepany sent someone to bail him out and then fired him." It was simple and straightforward, which was Hans''s style. The live streaming tform was a new, popr way of getting famous, and Joy Group was also vigorously promoting it. However, the tform management was all done online. It was actually out of thepany''s power to determine whether the artist was a good, upstanding person or not, so it was easy for such a thing to happen. "When the nning Department submitted the live streaming artist training n, I already told them to monitor it closely, but we still couldn''t avoid this. New artists want to gain poprity fast, so there will always be someone who is willing to test the limit. We can only make an example of them." Hans''s attitude was a little serious when it came to work. "If we fire them directly and pay the penalty, will it affect the enthusiasm of the other live streaming artists?" "We''ve talked about it in the meeting. The live stream artists'' management needs to be readjusted. We have emailed all the departments about this, I guess you haven''t seen it yet. Get up early tomorrow. You will go on a business trip with me to the branch office." "A business trip?" Jennifer stared at him. She just wanted to ease the atmosphere, so she casually N?velDrama.Org holds this content. mentioned work. How did she manage to get herself into a business trip? "No one informed me!" Hans nced at her impatiently. "I''m officially informing you right now. Tomorrow you will go on a business trip with me to Seattle. The management of the live streaming artists is not so simple. The branch office is still at the beginning stage. You will have more and more contact with them in this regard in the future. It''s necessary to get familiar with their work in advance." Jennifer swallowed her saliva. Originally, she wanted to ask why she needed to get familiar with this work. However, when she saw his irrefutable expression, she swallowed back her question. "Forget it. It''s just a business trip. It''s not a big deal. It''s not like I''ve never been on a business trip before." Jennifer thought. However, in her mind, it was not an easy task to go on a business trip with Hans. Every time, she was tortured to death at night, but the next morning she would have to apany him to work in high spirits. "I have just gotten used to Hans being nice. Was it all just the calm before the storm?" She thought. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!